Spectre's
by QueenyProductions
Summary: Newly promoted Spectre Seraphina Shepard is partnered with tough krogan Wrex and turian sniper Garrus to face the threat of Cerberus and restore order to the galaxy, but they aren't prepared for the horrors and trials that Cerberus throws at them at every turn. Will the Spectre's fufill their mission, or will Cerberus prevail? AU. F/ShepxWrex.
1. Prologue

_*All characters are based on the same ones in the Mass Effect universe, only with an alternative reality twist. I hope each character acts within context, and that the readers aren't too annoyed when certain characters don't make an appearance. Please review and enjoy._

* * *

**Spectres: **

**Prologue**

Looking out from the balcony of the executor suite, Councillor Quentius stared down at the sparkling blue river that flowed so peacefully down from the Presidium Commons, and for a second he momentarily forget the chaos of the galaxy and the recent disruption that had caused him to make such arrangements with Councillor Anderson.

Despite the best efforts of him and the rest of the Citadel Council, the state of the galaxy was anything but peaceful. With the uprising of the Cerberus Organization over eighteen years ago, things had slowly begun to fall into chaos within the farthest reaches of space, in the darkest corner, hiding where the Council was unable to find them.

Being Councillor was difficult enough without having to worry about some enigma organization, his main priority were potential wars, rebels, keeping the peace, his time could not be so easily divided to focus on one problem in particular.

It was time for action, time for him to do something about it. But the salarian Councilwoman was of no help, she was a shrewd woman whose top priority was her own kind, and though it was admirable, in the run of things it was rather selfish when her concern was the entire galaxy.

Then there was the asari Councilwoman, Quentius had nothing against her, but when he hinted at his plans she seemed unconcerned and even suggested that such a plan would fall through. The only one he could turn to was Councillor Anderson, and it was he himself who devised most of the strategies of the plan. Without Anderson, there probably wouldn't even be a plan.

Quentius was a dark skinned turian, his facial markings a creamy white that covered the entirety of his face, leaving very little room around the eyes and mandibles. He had been Councillor for some time, but it had been so long since he had seen Palaven. He dressed finely in royal blue and scarlet and white trim, and enjoyed a glass of wine as he waited patiently for Anderson to return.

He had gone down into the records of the Citadel, and had been down there for several hours. He had not given any indication of how long he was going to be, but Quentius didn't expect the human to be gone for so long. Maybe it would have been better if Quentius had gone down, he knew the archives much better and -

In the middle of his musing, the metallic doors opened with a silent hiss and the olive skinned Anderson entered, holding a tablet in his hand. Quentius finished his glass and set it down on the table, calmly taking the tablet from the human and quickly reading through what Anderson had uncovered.

"Three?" he said. "You've been down there for several hours and you picked three from nearly a hundred candidates?"

"The other candidates are either much older or too set in their ways," Anderson remarked. "We need young blood, young fighters who can still be moulded by opinion. We can't have soldiers who will turn on one another because of old grudges or bad blood."

"Oh? So is that why you chose a krogan?" Quentius asked. "Last I checked they're known for keeping grudges."

"This one is different," Anderson argued. "He's the _'First Krogan'_."

"Ah, yes," Quentius said. "The first krogan born after the Genophage Cure. I can see why you chose him."

"My choices are as much political as they are tactical," Anderson said. "If necessary we can add other squad members later, for now three is small enough to slip beneath the radar and they probably won't bring up too much attention if they need to go undercover."

Quentius looked through the other candidates carefully, marking down factoring points. "A turian, a krogan and a human," he murmured. He looked up at Anderson, and spoke clearly, "If Valern and Tevos find out too soon this will go very badly. There are no salarian's or asari on this list."

"Not yet," Anderson said. "But once this unit is up and running and a separate entity we can introduce new squad members."

Quentius downloaded the contents of the tablet into his omni-tool, then deleted the original content and handed the tablet back to Anderson. They couldn't allow for this information to reach anyone else, especially when there could be a Cerberus spy in the very heart of the Citadel.

They had to move quietly, and quickly. They had a very small window of opportunity. These candidates were newly inducted Spectres, they were young, and if they weren't careful then they would be out on the battlefield before the Councillors had a chance to grab them.

"How soon before we can get in contact with them?" Quentius asked.

"EDI has begun preparations," Anderson replied. "We should expect them within the next 72 hours."

Quentius frowned, "EDI?" he repeated. "You trust our secrets to that AI you had developed?"

"There are fail-safe's in place to prevent EDI from mentioning or even divulging information on Operation Cobra," Anderson explained.

"Why call it Operation Cobra?" Quentius inquired. "Cobras have nothing to do with this task."

"Exactly," Anderson said. "It'll throw them off the trail, so in case we are ever discovered they'll never directly discover our plans."

Quentius sighed, all this cloak and dagger business was starting to give him a migraine. He rubbed the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath.

"As long as everything is prepared," he said. "Return to your duties, Councillor Anderson."

Anderson nodded, as he turned to the leave the room he said, "I'll inform you of any new developments."

Quentius waited for the door to close before refilling his glass and returned to his balcony. He looked out over the water and trees and the people, and he wondered if his minor contribution to the galaxy was going to be enough.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. First Assignment

**First Assignment**

_Tuchanka, Urdnot_

The varren spat and growled at one another in the dirty pit, clawing and biting, tearing chunks of flesh off the other in a bid to not be the dinner of the krogan who betted against it. One varren managed to get around its opponent and sunk its flesh into the back of its neck, it howled in pain and fell to the ground, twitching and bleeding.

The krogan gathered around the pit cheered, one swore and stamped his foot. He lost his bet and a chance at a free meal. Wrex watched from afar, slightly glad his varren didn't go into the pits, but knew if worst came to worst he could always eat it. He glanced up at the hole in the huge ceiling, orange tinged light streaming in.

This would be the last time he stood in his home of Urdnot, tomorrow he was leaving to start his duties as a Spectre, and as was well known - there weren't a lot of krogan Spectres. There may have been a few, but they were the original generation of krogan, the ones who lived for centuries.

Ever since the Genophage Cure, the krogan's ability to live long and mature quickly had dramatically been affected. It was the damn salarians, ever since they fixed the krogan's under a forced treaty, they weren't going to live nearly as long and they weren't going to mature as quickly as liked.

It was all part of the plan, of course. Prevent the krogan's from living long so the best soldiers die out sooner, stop them from maturing faster so they can't be ready for battle quicker. As much as Wrex hated to admit it, it was damn clever.

A krogan approached him, a female in navy blue robes with golden lace, the hood of which came up over her face and covered everything but her hard dark crimson eyes. He greeted her with a casual nod.

"Feeling nervous, are we?" she inquired.

"No, Bakara," he said with a slight ounce of venom. "I can't wait to get off this planet and actually use my training for something other than clan wars."

She rolled her eyes, "Krogan youth..." she muttered. "So eager to shoot and tell."

"What about you?" he asked. "Today you become the shaman of the female clan; everyone's saying you're too young."

"Funny," she said. "I've heard the same about you."

He glared at her, but as his clan sister she was used to such looks. She had grown up with Wrex, third born krogan after the Cure, she was used to it all.

"But I'm sure you'll prove them wrong," she continued. "You may not be the same as a true krogan, but... you put a gun in a krogan's hand and, well..."

A small chuckle escaped him.

A krogan ran over to them, easily recognizable by his somewhat battered armour and dark dark. He stopped in front of them, a little out of breath. They both recognized him as Wreav, another of their clan brothers, and a pain in the ass.

"Wrex, there's a message for you," Wreav informed him.

"A message from who?" Wrex asked.

"The Citadel," Wreav replied. "I'm not sure who, but they want to talk to you - _alone_."

...

_Palaven, Cipritine_

The elder turian regarded him as one would a pet, the type of pet regularly entered into shows and taken everywhere at every opportunity in order to show off just as how great and special it was. But Garrus didn't like the way his father looked at him, it made him think back to when he was boy and how he greatly sought his father's approval.

In a way, he still felt like a child. When he gazed upon the many medals and honours upon his father's breast there was that overwhelming feeling of pride to have come from such a man, and then that over-bearing pressure like he was carrying Menae on his back.

He had to be just like his father, if not better, and be a hero to Palaven. If he had to do this through the Spectre position and then work his way up, gradually becoming something great, then so be it. Then maybe one day he could look upon his father and not feel as though he's trying to prove something.

"When do you leave for the Citadel?" his father asked.

"Within the next few hours," Garrus replied.

"Do you know what your first assignment will be?" he asked.

"No, I won't be told until I arrive," Garrus answered.

A heavy silence fell on them, the father and the son who had spent so little time together. His father was a general, in charge of a fleet near enough the same size as the capital of Cirpritine, such responsibilities ate up at your time and left you with very little opportunities to be a father.

But that was normal, he thought, all turians were of a military background. There was little room for family.

"If you have time at the Citadel, say hello to your mother and brother," his father said.

"Yes, dad," Garrus responded. "I better get going."

His father just nodded.

Garrus turned to leave and walked down the long corridor to the end of the huge office, as he reached the doors his father called to him, "Good luck, son."

Garrus smiled and left.

He walked down the long marble-white corridor and headed to the shuttle bay, he had nothing left to do in Cirpritine, no more family to say goodbye to. He may as well wait for the shuttle to come and ship him off to the Citadel. He proceeded along the sleek corridors and stepped outside into the brisk air, taking one long, final gulp of Palaven air.

Minutes later he was approached by a female turian, he didn't recognize her, but judging from her robes she was some sort of messenger or assistant. She had a look around at the other turian's, before approaching Garrus.

"Are you Garrus Vakarian?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he answered.

She passed him a small data pad, bowed her head and then scuttled off. He looked down at the item in his hand, frowning as he opened the only file on the small device. It was a message, with a order at the end:** DESTROY IMMEDIATELY AFTER RETAINING ALL INFORMATION.**

Garrus read the message carefully, and then he read it again, just to make it was legit. A tiny part of him warned him that this was possibly a joke, he knew of various military operations that had a rite of passage that involved some sort of prank, but something about this message just seemed... off.

It seemed too real. He wasn't sure why he felt so sure, but he had never really been the suspicious type.

...

_The Citadel_

As much as she hated to admit it, this was the first time Seraphina Shepard had ever been in the Citadel. She had always wanted to go, she had lost count of how many times she had begun preparations to go, only to have something come up or have her request to enter the marvellous construction denied for one reason or another.

But now she was here on request of the Councillors. She was a Spectre now, and she tried not to let her nerves show. Seraphina didn't know where she got her nerves from, it certainly wasn't from her parents. You put a gun in her hand and Seraphina didn't need to be told twice; she was confident enough to carry the weight of her responsibility.

But you get her out of the armour and take away her gun, and suddenly Seraphina wasn't as confident as she would have liked to be. She knew she would grow into it, eventually, give her a few years and a few more battles and Seraphina would be fine. Probably.

She wandered around the Citadel as her friend pointed out the various things, telling her the history of the Citadel and of the Councillors and of the creators of the beautiful structure. The long history that went back centuries. Seraphina just nodded, still in slight awe of the whole thing. Her guide stopped as she caught sight of her friend's expression.

"Seraph, are you okay?" Liara asked.

Seraphina shook out of her daze and looked at the asari. "I'm fine, Liara," she said. "I'm just getting used to this place. To think someone built all this, it's like a small world. I can see why you love the Protheans so much."

"You spent your entire life on ships," Liara remarked. "You never saw anything like this?"

"You kidding?" she laughed. "Half of the domes I've been in don't even look like this!"

Liara smirked.

They stopped off at Apollo's Cafe and ordered drinks. Seraphina wasn't expected to sign in for duty for yet another day, but she decided to come early for a number of reasons - Liara was coming to the Citadel anyway, so it was worth having a guide. Another reason was the encrypted message she received and spent the better half of an hour trying to decrypt.

She hadn't told Liara about the message, not that she didn't trust her friend, it was just the message had warned her doing so may compromise her first assignment. She couldn't very well allow for her first assignment to be ruined because she gossiped about it.

Seraphina wanted to make a name for herself, she wanted to be a brave warrior and a great commander, and make her parents and the human race proud of her accomplishments. If anything she just wanted someone in the future to say, _"Commander Shepard was a hero."_ Was that too much to ask for?

Seraphina slept on the couch in Liara's apartment, she was yet to be assigned permanent accommodations and Liara was nice enough to lend her the couch. While Liara was busy with research, Seraphina waited for a new transmission. She had been informed that she would be sent a new message when everything was ready.

So she waited, as the night - or whatever qualified as night in the Citadel, which was really just darkening of the holographic sky for a few hours - danced around her and the outside grew quiet, the tablet she received from her high commander blinked twice.

She sat up and checked the new message:

**ALL IS PREPARED; MEET US IN THE OFFICE OF COUNCILLER QUENTIUS. IF YOU ARE STOPPED BY ANY GUARDS, SHOW YOUR SPECTRE STATUS AND THEY WILL LET YOU PASS. DELETE MESSAGE AFTER RECIEVED.**

Seraphina obeyed the final command, quickly deleting the transmission. She got out of bed and changed into her armour, which she had been modified some time ago to be mostly purple with streaks of white along the contours and frame. She left her recon hood, she doubted she would have need of it.

At first, she was rather pessimistic when she learnt Spectres had no official uniform and that they generally wore whatever the hell they wanted. But after she picked up her current set of armour and modified, she realized how comfortable it was to dress how you wanted, providing it was enough to keep you alive.

She checked in on Liara, saw she had fallen asleep, and sneaked out of the apartment. She silently made her way to office of Councillor Quentius, though she did have to check her map once or twice to make sure she knew where she was going. The few guards that were roaming around didn't stop her, the one that did only wanted to know why she kept her hair so long.

Her hair stopped a few inches from her elbow and was long and scarlet, with a side fringe that almost fell over her eyes. She managed to keep it under control by throwing it up into a neat bun, with two long flaps of hair cupping either side of her face. Her eyes were red too, scarlet like her mother's, which was probably due to some interspecies breeding and was the cause of her pale skin.

She ignored the guard who asked her such a question; it wasn't for him to know.

She came to the office of Councillor Quentius and felt an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. She ignored the pain, held her head high and entered the room. The office was large and grand, with an open balcony and little furniture. She saw the office at the far end of the room, where Councillor Quentius stood with Councillor Anderson and a turian and krogan she didn't recognize.

Both turian and krogan were dressed in armour, just like her, though the krogan's was a deep red and dented and the turian's was dark blue. Anderson regarded her with a smile; Seraphina gave him a polite nod. It had been years since she last saw Anderson in person, the last time she saw him in the flesh he was an Alliance Officer.

Was he the reason she was here?

"Nice to see you finally made it, Shepard," Anderson commented.

"Sorry, Councillor, I'm still getting used to this place," she replied.

"It doesn't matter," Quentius interjected. "You're here, we can finally start."

Seraphina joined the krogan and the turian, and Quentius looked as though he struggled to form what he thought into words. He gave Anderson a look, and the human took over.

"You are all here to do because you are young, strong and have excelled in one field or another," he began. "Garrus Vakarian, your hit score is the highest I've ever seen. Seraphina Shepard, you're brave and intuitive. And Urdnot Wrex, a krogan with biotic powers."

Seraphina glanced at the two alien's beside her, Garrus stood tall and straight, clearly a disciplined man. Wrex was smirking for some reason.

"It is because of your abilities that we have picked you from near enough a hundred candidates to be part of a new experimental unit," Anderson continued. "This unit will answer directly to me and Quentius, no one else, and if you are questioned you are to fain innocence."

"This unit... you're keeping it a secret from other Councillors," Seraphina realized.

Quentius nodded, "We need you to deal with problems the other Spectres could not handle," he explained. "You would continue your regular duties, but your main priority will be an organization."

"What organization?" Garrus asked.

"For now we can't divulge any more information," Anderson replied. "We need to know we can trust you and that you will do your duty with secrecy and skill."

"You're telling us a lot despite how we could just up and leave and tell the other Councillors," Wrex commented.

"If necessary we will kill you to keep this a secret," Anderson threatened. "It will be a great loss, but we need to handle this with care."

Wrex looked down at the human Councillor, and then smiled. "Alright human, I'll join," he said.

"Really?" Garrus said.

"I have some respect for a man willing to cut off loose ends," he answered. "But if you ever try to kill me, I promise you it will not be easy."

Anderson looked expectedly at Seraphina. She had known him since she was a child, he had known her parents, and had guided her through her cadet years. In fact, it was he who chose her for Spectre duty, now he was offering her an even greater role in the way of the galaxy. If she wanted to be remembered, this is how she goes about doing it.

"I suppose you can count on me too," she said.

Quentius turned his attention to Garrus, who seemed to be grappling with the decision. Quentius desperately wanted a turian on the team, he needed that edge in the way of battle and it was only a turian he trusted to lead the assault against the Cerberus. But if Garrus was struggling to make up his mind then he needed to nudge him in the right direction.

"I know you're father, Vakarian," he said. "A great general. He will be proud when he learns of your role in this team."

That got him.

Garrus agreed to join the team.

"Return to your rooms," Quentius ordered. "We will contact you when we have need of you."

They obediently nodded and filed out of the room. Quentius fell back into his chair.

"Make sure they are observed at all times," he ordered. "If there is any sign of betrayal, then..."

"Don't worry," Anderson said. "I trust them to do what any good solider would do - follow orders."

"Let's hope you're right," Quentius murmured.

...

Outside the office of Councillor Quentius, the new team had a good look at one another. Wrex glared at the turian and didn't think much of the human, Garrus' thoughts were elsewhere and he hardly took notice of the krogan glaring at him, and Seraphina wondered what organization they were going to be targeting and why they needed to be so secretive.

They went their separate ways, until the time was right and they would be called into action against Cerberus.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Second Assignment

**Second Assignment**

_The Citadel_

The following weeks passed without any evidence of betrayal, or that maybe the new unit would turn against Quentius and Anderson and sell them out to the other Councillors or perhaps even to Cerberus. It appeared that Anderson had chosen wisely, but he was wary of the krogan and the human, and as much as he hated to admit it, the turian too.

The krogan made it clear that if they tried to get rid of him, he wasn't going to go down quietly. He was going to fight until he had to club them to death with his gun, but as biotic he had plenty of ways to kill them, without the use of any of his military training. And that's what made him so dangerous. He probably knew of a hundred different ways to kill them, and wouldn't hesitate to unleash his wrath on a turian.

And then the human, Anderson had failed to mention how close he was to her. He knew her parents, he got her into military service and made her a Spectre, now he recommended her for this unit. It just didn't seem right to him. Anderson had his own little edge, he knew someone intimately within that unit, and Quentius feared what he may do with this advantage.

But for now that would have to wait, through all his weeks of watching and observing the unit, he discovered one key element - they didn't get along. He understood why they would want to distance themselves from one another, it meant not drawing attention, but this was different.

The krogan took every opportunity to mock the turian or just plain ignore him when they were put on the same Spectre-related assignment. He didn't even bat an eyelid when the turian was being fired at and he could have easily lent assistance too. The turian himself was driven by something, some desire, and he didn't seem to care who he had to leave behind to achieve what he sought after.

And then the human, Quentius wasn't sure what it was with that female, but he had never seen such a dramatic change in personality. He needed her to be confident without a gun, to be able enough to carry the weight of responsibility without needing a gun in her hand. She barely noticed the turian in the corridors; whenever she passed the krogan they greeted one another with a calm response of:

"Shepard."

"Wrex."

What they needed was a little team-bonding, but how exactly they went about going this was the question he faced. Each of them would have undergone some sort of team-building skills, they were all soldiers after all, and at some point they would have faced the challenge of working in a team.

He couldn't trust a unit that didn't even trust its own members. He would have to do something about it.

...

A few days later each member of the team had returned from their Spectre missions - Wrex had been sorting out a border skurmish between the hanar and a group of nomadic drell on some colony world, Garrus had been appointed to help take down an assassin hovering around Omega, and Seraphina had been on Earth protecting an alien diplomat.

Now they had finally returned and had been assigned a new mission through a private code on their Omni-tool, a direct private link to them and Quentius and Anderson. The instructions were to enter a ship docked in D4 of the Citadel Bay and wear casual clothes for an undercover mission. Everything they needed would be on the ship.

They obeyed the order and entered the ship, though a little confused as to what kind of undercover mission required all three of them. Surely a turian and a krogan together would draw too much attention. The ship was a UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle, a shuttle not generally used for long journeys. Upon entering the shuttle the door sealed shut behind them and the shuttle took off.

Wrex inspected a large sealed box as Seraphina went to speak to the pilot, but found the seat of both the pilot and co-pilot empty.

"Uh, I think we have a problem," she said.

"You're damn right we do!" Wrex swore. "There's not nearly enough ammo in this damn box!"

"I think not having a pilot takes top priority over weapons," Garrus remarked.

Wrex glared at him, but before a fight could break out, a feminine voice spoke out.

"Please remain calm," she instructed. "The ship is under my control."

"Your control?" Garrus repeated. "What are you, a VA?"

"Not quite," she replied. "I am an AI developed by Councillor Anderson to assist you."

"Then mind telling me why we don't seem to have enough ammo?" Wrex asked.

"I'm afraid this is all part of Councillor Quentius' plan," she responded. "He believes this unit will certainly fail if you can't function properly as a team, so he planned to help you develop team-building skills."

"A team-building exercise?" Wrex snorted. "He seriously dragged us away from real missions for a team-building exercise?"

"Yes," she replied. "The goal is for you to learn to survive together with what little resources you have, once we have decided you have reached this goal and can function correctly; we will come back for you."

"And if we don't agree to this?" Wrex asked. "You can't force us out of this shuttle!"

"I'm afraid that in the minutes we have been talking I have slipped a sleep-inducing gas into this shuttle," she replied. "You will not have a choice in choosing what to do."

Seraphina collapsed to the ground; Garrus went week-kneed and collapsed onto his hands and knees. Wrex swayed, trying to fight the powerful gas.

"Damn... krogan," Garrus swore. "Never knows... when to keep... his mouth... shut."

He fell to the floor, and Wrex followed, falling onto his face as the shuttle sped away and journeyed deeper into space.

...

Garrus groaned as a wave of sound woke him, chirps and caws, and hums and squakes. He woke and his neck felt stiff. Stumbling to his feet he took in his new environment, green with some sort greenish haze. He wondered how exactly the AI got him off the ship, but he decided it was best not to think about it. Wrex and Seraphina lay asleep, the box of weapons to his right.

He approached the box and had a rummage inside, finding canisters of water, sacks of food, and nothing more than three M-3 Predator heavy pistols with three clips of fifteen rounds. They would have to be conservative with their ammo, who knows how long before they were allowed to return. He didn't recognize the planet, but for Quentius to just dump them there it either had to be a non-Alliance planet or one with no intelligent life. The air smelt strange, Garrus sensed that perhaps the planet may have heavier than the atmospheric oxygen in low lands, so it was best to avoid such areas if possible.

He went over to the krogan and nudged him in the ribs, Wrex stirred after some more prodding. He pushed Garrus away and jumped to his feet, he frowned at the setting around him and announced, "Tarith."

Garrus said, "What?"

"We're on Tarith, turian," Wrex replied. "I've been here before, it's not a planet you easily forget."

"I thought it was uninhabitable," Garrus said.

"No, just on the bottom of the colonization list," Wrex corrected.

Seraphina woke and sat up, having a long, hard look around her, before turning her attention to Garrus and Wrex as they discussed the plan of action.

"What kind of creatures should we be worried about?" Garrus asked.

"Klixen and harvesters are our biggest concern," Wrex replied. "They like to travel in groups, and if rumours are believed to be true - there's a thresher maw here."

"T-thresher maw?" Seraphina stammered.

Wrex nodded, "Apparently some idiot transferred a maw spore here centuries ago," he replied. "But who knows if it's true?"

He noticed Seraphina go a little wide-eyed and turn a little green-faced.

"You're not scared of them, are you?" he said.

"N-no!" she snapped. "I've... faced one before. I'd rather not do so again."

"Hopefully we won't," Garrus said. "For now, we should move to higher ground, get a better outpost."

Seraphina got to her feet and she and Garrus took one end of the box, lifting it off the ground.

"Lead the way, krogan," Garrus said. "You've been here before; you should have some idea of the terrain."

Wrex just grunted and wordlessly walked off. They followed him, Seraphina glancing behind her in fear of catching a glimpse of the terrible worm.

...

They journeyed up a slight incline and after several minutes, came to a flat area surrounded by thick trees; the land was not at all shaped well to suit the needs of a thresher maw and Seraphina decided that if such a beast did exist on this planet once, it was probably dead due to its inability to adapt.

"We'll rest here," Wrex ordered.

"Here?" Garrus questioned. "It seems a little open to attack."

"Hiding in the woods isn't an option," Wrex objected. "The carnivores know it better than us, at least this way we can see them coming."

"Then we should at least fortify the area," Garrus suggested.

"With what?" Wrex asked. "Twigs and leaves? You seem to forget klixen can spew fire!"

"You two aren't really helping our cause," Seraphina commented.

They both turned on her with a cry of, "What?"

"You two bickering like a pair of children will only ensure we stay on this planet longer," she said. "You're both as bad as the other."

"Don't you dare compare me to this turian scum!" Wrex hissed.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you," Garrus said dryly.

Wrex growled.

Seraphina jumped in between the two, trying to push Wrex back, but found she wasn't strong enough to keep the krogan back. She gritted her teeth and felt the familiar pulsating biotic power throb and pulse, forming like a mist around her, and she pushed Wrex and Garrus a feet back. They stumbled backwards, but managed to keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Seraphina took a deep breath, feeling pins and needles up her arm. She was still getting used to her biotic abilities, she never had a great need for them during her training. Now though, it appeared she would have a greater need for them.

"Screw this," Wrex swore. "I'm not going to take lip from a turian, _or_ a human."

He stormed over to the box, pulled out his share of supplies and disappeared into the forest.

"Good riddance," Garrus said. "Now we can focus on getting off this planet."

"We can't get off this planet without him," Seraphina argued.

"You honestly believe Quentius would leave us here as punishment?" Garrus asked.

"He drugged us and left us on an uninhabited planet with barely enough supplies to get by," Seraphina reminded him. "I think he'll leave us here."

"You go get him then," Garrus said. "He won't listen to me, but maybe he'll listen to you."

"Why would he listen to me?" she asked.

"Because you managed to push him," Garrus explained. "He may listen to someone who can physically stand up to a krogan."

Seraphina sighed.

Garrus didn't want to get the krogan because he didn't care about Wrex, sending her was easier because there was a slightly less chance of Wrex biting her head off because she had the ability to push him back. She just hoped it was enough to keep the pissed off krogan under control.

...

Garrus guarded camp and Seraphina took some supplies with her and went in search of the krogan. It wasn't hard, he had left a trail of destruction in his rage, torn down branches and heavy set foot prints. Tracking him was easy, even someone with as little tracking ability as her found the task simple. She went further into the forest, stopping when the forest fell silent.

She went still and listened carefully. There was silence for a heavy minute, interrupted only by the sound of small claws scuttling along the earth. She slowly reached for her Predator, and something burst out of the green, throwing her to the ground. She felt it claw at her face, leaving a sharp incision at the corner of her eye. She grabbed her gun and batted the thing aside, she got her feet and kicked the red creature away.

She fired at it and it exploded violently, blood splattering across her face. More of the creatures emerged, red and almost insect-like in appearance. She recognized them as klixen and breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't a thresher maw. She continued to fire, but more creatures emerged.

Wasting bullets was pointless.

One klixen breathed a hot funnel towards her, she dived aside and got behind the creature, kicking it towards three more that tried to advance on her. Where the hell where they all coming from? The floor suddenly rumbled beneath her, the klixen froze and didn't move for a moment. It felt like an earthquake, but it couldn't have been.

It felt too close, like something had fallen.

The rumbling beneath her feet stopped, and the klixen continued their assault. One jumped on her back, she grabbed it and pulled it from her hair, throwing it to the ground and stamping on its head. She fired and kicked, but they just kept coming. Seraphina needed help, she couldn't do this alone.

In the grove there came the sound of thunderous footsteps, the klixen turned to the source of the sound, and Wrex emerged from the forest, bearing three horrific scars on the one side of his face that were still bleeding terribly and he stunk of blood that wasn't necessarily all his. He roared triumphantly and charged into the swarm of klinex, battering them with his firearm.

They screeched and retreated, disappearing into the forest. Seraphina stared at him, awe-struck.

"H-how did you do that?" she gasped.

"Hmm?" Wrex looked at her, not seeming to have realized he had saved her.

"I just killed a harvester," he said. "The ugly bastard's can probably smell its blood on me and realized who they were messing with." He noticed the cut on her face, "You're bleeding," he pointed out.

"So are you," she remarked. "They look bad, we should see to them."

"No," he said. "Women love scars."

She rolled her eyes. She glanced at where he had emerged, catching the stench of the dead harvester, and realized that he hadn't fought the creature far from where she had faced the klixen.

"You didn't get far," she commented.

"Realized I need you and the turian to get off this hell hole," he replied. "I was about to turn back when that thing jumped me."

"That won't happen if you and he can't get along," she said. "I know you don't like him, and to be honest, I don't really care. But we have a job to do and we can't do it if you and he are at one another's throats. I'm not even asking you to try to like him, I just want you to work alongside one another and then at the end of the mission you don't even have to look at him."

Wrex listened carefully to what she said, absorbing her words, and turned and walked back to camp. She stared at him, needing a moment to take in what she had just accomplished. She had just given a krogan an order, and he appeared to have listened.

"I like this new attitude of yours," he commented. "Much better than that shy timid thing."

She smirked, "Must be the company."

...

They returned to camp, where Garrus sat calmly with the Predator in hand. Wrex stopped a lengthy distance from Garrus, folding his arms over his chest. Garrus raised his gun. Seraphina felt panic rise in her and summoned her biotic powers, ready to stop Garrus.

He fired, and the bullet passed Wrex and struck a klinex that had climbed onto his shoulder. It fell to the floor and exploded. Wrex and Seraphina stared at Garrus.

"You need to be more careful, krogan," he said.

Wrex's jaw clenched, but he managed to hold down whatever vile insult he had and instead said, "I'll remember that."

...

Time on Tarith was much different to time on Earth, though it was much like Earth, a single day contained roughly 27.7 Earth hours, meaning if Quentius decided to leave them there for three days as planned, they would have had to suffer roughly 83 hours on the harsh planet. Thankfully, they were only there for eighteen hours.

They divided the food and managed to make it last, allowing Wrex to go off and catch some dinner before hunger got to them. They sheltered beneath a large tree when the rain picked up, they built a fire to cook their meal, which proved dangerous in an atmosphere with heavy gas.

But they didn't argue, or managed to avoid doing so by distracting themselves with meaningless conversations about life and battle. Finally the shuttle came back for them, and Seraphina was never so pleased to see a scrap of metal. As they settled into the plush seats, Quentius addressed them.

"You all did well back on Tarith," he said. "In eighteen hours you protected one another and worked as a team to seek shelter and new resources."

"You think eighteen hours on a planet is enough to fix us?" Seraphina asked.

"I was going to bring you home earlier after I witnessed Garrus protect Wrex from the klixen that sneaked up on him," Quentius answered. "But I needed to be sure."

"Sneaky bastard," Wrex grumbled. "Watching as on that damn planet, probably going to watch it later for his enjoyment."

Quentius decided to ignore him, "Nevertheless I trust you all to work as a team on your new assignment," he continued.

"New assignment?" Garrus asked.

"Yes, I suggest you get some sleep and recharge," Quentius replied. "Everything you need is in the cargo space. EDI has all the information you need."

Quentius signed off.

Garrus fell back into his seat, stretching a stiff joint in his back.

"I feel as though this task force isn't going to give us much room to breathe," he commented.

He was met by silence. He frowned and turned to his team mates, and found them to be asleep. Seraphina lay with her head back and slept peacefully, Wrex snored loudly and Garrus wondered just how tired the human was to be able to put up with such a noise.

He relaxed in his chair and decided to nap for a few hours, they were going to need it for their next assignment.

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Third Assignment

_Hey, readers! Thanks for the favourites! It's nice to get so many positive responses, but I'm afraid I don't know what you like or what needs improvement. So if one or two of you could take the time to leave a review I'd really appreciate it :)_

* * *

**Third Assignment**

In the small cargo holding area, Seraphina tried to change into her armour. There was barely enough room for her to lift her arms, never mind change, but Garrus insisted she get dressed in a separate room. She didn't mind getting changed in front of males, how many men had she changed in front of during her days at the N-School? But it was probably best not to argue, she was still playing nice.

She slipped into the underlying fabric she wore beneath her armour, the familiar scent bringing back memories of countless battles. She dreamed of the day she received her N7 armour, but since she had been called into Spectre duty so soon the armour was being held at the Vila Militar in Rio de Janeiro until she had time to retrieve it. She could have requested for it to be sent out, but she would rather attend the ceremony along with the rest of the graduates.

But she may have already missed it, she had been in space for so long that she wasn't aware of what was happening on Earth.

Besides, there was nothing wrong with her current armour, it looked almost like an N7 uniform, just without the decorate 'N7' of course. It would do for now, then when she finally got her armour she would spray it with her colours of white and purple. Most went for red and black, and she did try those colours, but something about it seemed unsettling.

She would see enough blood in her life not be reminded of it every time she put on the uniform.

...

Wrex peered through the small crack in the shuttle's wall, created by something small like a laser incision, and was probably made by another crew member for the same purpose he was using it for. A peep hole. Garrus finished the final adjustments of his uniform, and finally noticed that appeared to be Wrex staring at the wall.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm just curious as to what a human looks like without any clothes," Wrex replied.

"Get away from there!" Garrus tugged him back.

"They look similar to other females," Wrex added. "Just with more... you know."

Garrus frowned, "No, I don't know," he said.

Wrex struggled for a polite word, after a moment he remembered what Bakara had once called them.

"Mammaries," he answered.

"... Mammaries?" Garrus repeated. "Most females have mammaries."

"Not like these!" Wrex laughed.

Seraphina emerged from the small compartment, Wrex fell silent.

"What?" she asked. "Did I miss something?"

"No, it's fine," Garrus replied. "Wrex was just telling a distasteful joke."

Wrex glared at him, but decided it was probably best to not tell the truth. They had to learn to play nice, even if it hurt. All he had to do was spend a few hours a day with them, he didn't even have to care about them, all he had to do was point and fire, and the rest would be someone else's problem.

"So where exactly are we heading?" Seraphina asked.

"Watchman," EDI responded. "Located on the outer edge of Iera's small solar system, it is a rock and ice planet with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere that is too thin to support life."

Seraphina went over to an open cabinet where three helmets had been prepared, sadly though it would appear she would be denied access of her recon hood judging by the white and purple breather helmet. She was most comfortable in her recon hood. She handed out the large helmets to her team mates, then threw up her hair and put on her own helmet.

"Councillor Anderson recently under covered intel relating to the construction of an arms manufacturer on the planet of Watchman," EDI continued. "The planet itself has been marked as uninhabitable and all attempts to build there would require a bio-dome and permission from the Citadel, but no such reports have been filed."

"Is that why we're being sent out?" Garrus asked. "To respond to the some lost paperwork?"

"No," EDI replied. "The problem is the manufacturer itself - they are creating forgeries of Alliance firearms and specialist weaponry which are sold to the military, C-Sec and even Alliance forces. Again, this would not be a problem if the weapon's actually work."

Wrex gave his assault rifle a careful glance.

"The weapons have been known to jam or in some extreme cases, detonate due to small implanted bombs," EDI continued. "Until recently we had no way of tracking the seller due to multiple accounts, but after now severing all ties to one particular branch of the company we were able to locate them here on this planet."

An image appeared on the main monitor, a dome being barraged by a hail of snow and icy wind. A small section was highlighted and the selected image was increased in size. It appeared to be the factory, but the image was blurry and further detail was hard to establish, someone was clearly scrambling the frequency.

"Inside there will be a number of guards, but mostly civilians forced into labour," EDI informed them. "Your assignment is to kill the guards and stop production, once that is done an Alliance ship will come for the civilians."

The shuttle entered the atmosphere of Watchman and rocked violently as the rough winds tried to force it down, EDI politely asked for them to take a seat. Seraphina checked her suit's vital signs, checking oxygen levels, shield battery, her M-15 Vindicator. Wrex sat with an eager smirk. Garrus checked his sniper rifle. They performed their own rituals, prepared for the coming battle.

They shuttle was forced to hover over the hard snow covered ground, they entered the storm and followed EDI's directions. Seraphina squinted through the white haze, unable to see past the thick storm that was messing up her visor. Wrex took a tentative step forward, slipped on the icy ground and fell onto his back. He swore.

"I hate ice!" he hissed.

He rolled to the one side, then to the other, and still couldn't get up. Garrus watched for a moment, clearly too amused to help. Seraphina sighed, why did she always have to sort out these kinds of problems? She went over to him and tried to help him up.

"My tracking information has shown you have stopped, why?" EDI asked.

"Wrex fell and is having some problem getting up," Garrus chuckled.

"I would appreciate some help, Garrus!" Seraphina hissed.

"Alright," he said, deciding not to annoy two of his team mates.

He walked behind Wrex and pushed his hand against his back as Seraphina grabbed hold of his hands. Seraphina pulled and with one hard push from Garrus, Wrex was launched onto his feet, but with too much momentum and without a steady foot, he went flying forwards into Seraphina. Garrus went still, taking in the sight before him, and burst into laughter.

Seraphina tried to push him off and Wrex tried to pull away, but both kept slipping on the ice.

"Come help us, turian!" Wrex snapped.

Garrus wiped a tear from his eye, and caught sight of something on the ground. He turned to the spot where Wrex had originally fallen, something small winked at him, something metallic. He wiped the snow away as Wrex continued to bark orders, and uncovered a piece of the earth had been cut away and replaced by a metal panel.

"EDI, I need you to scan this area," he said. "I found some sort of structure that may lead to the factory."

Seraphina stared at the krogan on top of her, who had tried to twist his head far enough to look at Garrus. She was thankful her suit had the kind of necessary protection to save her from being crushed by the large alien.

"I think he's forgotten about us," Seraphina said.

Wrex hummed and leaned on his arms, an idea coming to mind. "Roll out from beneath me," he said.

She did as she was told, managing to get out from beneath his, and then proceeded to help Wrex sit up. He got to his feet and walked up behind Garrus, and smacked him across the back of the head. Garrus' head rattled violently.

"Next time I won't be so polite," Wrex threatened.

Seraphina spotted the panel, "What's that?" she asked.

"I'm having EDI analyse it," Garrus replied.

"So you don't know," she said.

He didn't respond.

Their helmets buzzed.

"Analysis of the structure reveals that it is an underground tunnel connecting to the factory," EDI announced. "It leads directly into the basement of the factory, you could use this to sneak inside."

"Sounds like a plan," Garrus said. "Let's get this thing open."

Wrex stood there, pouting beneath his helmet, unwilling to lend a hand. Garrus shrugged and sought to the door himself, searching for the crack in the works, and pulled it open.

"Wrex, you take point," Garrus ordered.

"Finally," Wrex said, "a good idea."

He readied his gun and entered the dark hole, Seraphina went next and Garrus stayed at the back of the line. The wind knocked the door and they fell into temporary darkness, lights flickered ahead and the narrow corridor lit up. Wrex led the way, walking a pace quicker than the rest, hungry for battle. They finally reached a set of stairs, and were yet to encounter a guard.

The factory itself had a sort of jamming system encoded into a local frequency, it prevented any sort of ship on taking satellite pictures imagery's or picking up any sort of chatter from the guards intercoms. It was all very well designed, whoever had created this facility was willing to invest so much in a fraud business.

But was this the enemy Councillor Anderson and Quentius were so determined to defeat? They had gone behind the other Councillor's backs, set up a secret unit, which itself could result in expulsion from duty for all them if anyone ever found out. But if this was the enemy, a group of arms-dealers, why the secrecy? Why the need to set up a special unit, lie and then sneak around if this was just like any other Spectre job?

Something was off, until they learnt the name of their enemy they were going to have to approach the situation carefully.

Wrex signalled for them to stop as they neared the stairs, he approached the stairs carefully, peering up and listening out for any noise. He signalled for them to follow him. They proceeded up and entered a large room, a storage facility, with a large set of doors at the one end and another set of stairs leading up to an office that over-looked the factory floor.

They went over to the doors, Garrus and Seraphina flanking either side of the door. Wrex opened the door a crack and peered out onto the factory, in the large room a range of species from batarian and drell worked on a factory line, putting together the weapons made from cheap materials and forced labour. A dozen or so guards stood watch or wandered around.

He turned back to his team.

"Garrus, go up the stairs and fire from the office," Wrex ordered. "You take the first shot, throw them into chaos, Shepard and I will then take them out from below."

"Sounds like a plan," Garrus said, and proceeded up the stairs.

Wrex took position and they waited.

"Your wounds are scarring nicely," Seraphina commented.

"You can't see them beneath this stupid helmet," he remarked.

"I saw them back on the ship," she said.

Wrex smirked, so she had seen something interesting on the ship too.

He opened the doors further and looked up to the office, Garrus had opened a window and was preparing his sniper rifle. He looked out and aimed at no guard in particular, the first one who caught his sight, and fired. The sound was loud in the quiet room, echoing like a boom, startling everyone and making them stop. The guard fell and the workers screamed, diving for cover.

Wrex threw the doors opened and released his fury onto the guards. Seraphina watched the krogan rush into battle, falling behind cover and firing around the corner. She stayed where she was, firing at the guards who came to close to Wrex's position or tried to attack Garrus. She tried to get a good look at the guards, but they were falling faster than she would have liked. She wanted to get a better look, see if she could identify them. But their armour wasn't strong enough to protect them, they fell easily.

Whoever they were, they must be grunts, expendables.

She kept a close eye on the civilians, taking out any guards who came too close to them, to try to use them as shields. One of the guard's managed to get a clear shot at Wrex and chipped his shoulder, he just laughed as the bullet failed to penetrate his armour. She took the guard down, Wrex shot her a look.

"I had it under control," he said.

"I know," she said. "But you were taking down so many I was afraid I wouldn't get a shot in."

"I wouldn't worry about that," he said. "You seem pretty capable."

Bullets flew overhead, cutting into armour and chipping the wall. A loud boom would resonated every few seconds, the sound of sniper fire, and the civilians would cover their ears and cover. The bodies began to pile up, steadily, bloody. And then it was over. It couldn't have been no more than five minutes, but that was how a mission should be carried out.

Quickly, cleanly, effectively.

Seraphina slowly entered the room, checking amongst the corpses and in the shadows for any survivors. If there were, they probably escaped. She went over to the cowering workers, she removed her helmet and gave them a smoothing smile. One worker, a young drell girl no older than a decade, smiled back weakly.

"Hey, sweetie," she smiled. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded.

"Is there anyone else here?" she asked. "Any more bad men? Or other kids?"

She shook her head.

Another drell, possibly the father, spoke up. "These were the only guards," he answered. "There are some others like them, who came every few weeks for deliveries, but I haven't seen them since."

"And no other workers?" she said.

"Just us," he answered.

"Good," she said. "You all wait here and help will be here soon."

He nodded.

Wrex left his cover and sat down on a large crate. Garrus entered the room, just having finished his detail report with EDI.

"Help will be here within the next half hour," Garrus announced. "But we have to go, a special unit is coming to take care of the civilians and their after care."

"I just need one thing before we go," Seraphina said.

She went over to one of the fallen guards and checked their dark uniform for some kind of emblem or mark, anything to identify them. There was something, on his breast, a yellow mark. She scanned the image with her Omni-tool and saved the data for later.

"Ready now?" Wrex asked.

She nodded.

Wrex and Garrus left, she turned to the civilians.

"You heard that?" she said. "Someone is coming for you, people who will take care of you. Stay in cover until they arrive and don't worry - this will be over soon."

...

_The Citadel_

Returning to her new apartment Seraphina enjoyed a drink in the evening and went through all the files she had, searching for a symbol that matched the one she saw, trying to get some kind of information. Her Omni-tool searched through every data base available, a Spectre had access to many files, but apparently the one she was searching for was restricted.

Her apartment was a mess, in the process of unpacking, but she had only moved in nearly two weeks ago and since then she had been called out to duty many times. She knew things were going to be chaotic, but she never thought things would be _this_ bad.

There was a buzz at the door, she checked the vid comm and spotted her asari friend with a bottle of wine. She allowed Liara to enter and then noticed a large box she had to wheel in.

"What's that?" Seraphina asked.

"While you were gone I was contacted by the N-School," she replied. "As they assumed we were still living together, and sent this over. They said they couldn't hold it any longer, the graduation ceremony had already been and gone, and that they're sorry."

Seraphina took the package and opened it up, removing the protective layers to reveal her new armour, her new N7 armour which was already painted with her colours.

"They said to make it up to you they did your specific modifications," she added.

Seraphina sighed heavily, "I was looking forward to the graduation ceremony," she moaned.

"I'm afraid you'll be missing more ceremonies and parties now that you're a Spectre," Liara said. "From what I heard, the only breaks you get are between missions and one week paid holiday that changes each year."

"It's the life I chose," Seraphina said.

"Come now," Liara smiled. "Let's have some wine and drink those blues away."

"Okay," Seraphina said. "But not too much, I may be called out to duty tomorrow."

"Of course," Liara smirked.

They went into the kitchen area and the Omni-tool continued its search, but even after the night went on and Seraphina turned in for the evening, it only managed to get one response from the hundred of files collected over decades of hard work and bloody battles: **NO FILES MATCHING**.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Fourth Assignment

**Fourth Assignment**

_The Citadel_

Quentius read through the mission report from his office, going over the footage, and he was pleased at how well the unit worked. Despite a few slip-ups, they worked well when they put aside their feelings for the mission. And the the secondary unit he had sent to take care of the civilians worked just as good. They were professional doctors with a guard or two for protection; they didn't question what had happened or who took care of the security.

It was why he liked them, they didn't question who the men in the dark uniforms were, they just did their jobs.

Anderson entered the office, seeming rather smug. He must have looked through the report too.

"I told you they would follow orders," he said.

"I never doubted you," Quentius said. "But there is a matter we must attend too."

"Oh? What would that be?" Anderson asked.

"I think now maybe the time to tell them about the organization they are targeting," Quentius answered. "Shepard has already been researching the symbol she scanned, she won't get any results but I know she won't stop. How do we expect them to trust us if we can't even tell them the name of their enemies?"

"You... have a point," Anderson agreed. "I'll gather a small report for them, we don't want to tell them too much."

"Don't take long," Quentius said. "They're being shipping off to Omega."

"Omega?" Anderson frowned. "That seems... dangerous. If they lock horns with Omega's Queen they'll have difficulties finishing their mission."

"I don't care how they get around Aria," Quentius said. "If they have to kill her, so be it, all I care about is the success of the mission."

...

_En route to Omega_

Passing through the field of asteroids that gathered in clusters along the galaxy, the team sat in silence as they waited to arrive for their mission de-briefing. Garrus thought it was all very informal, they would receive a message relating to Operation Cobra and then they would board the shuttle without much else information. They had no idea what kind of situation they were being thrown into, and it worried him.

Seraphina fidgeted in her seat as Garrus worried. Her new armour felt strange and smelt strange, it smelt heavily of the paint they had used to mark her uniform and it wasn't a very pleasant smell. It would take some time to get used too.

The shuttle rocked uncomfortably. Wrex shook his head in order to stay awake. The awkward silence continued.

"I sense some tension between you," EDI said casually.

"We're still getting used to the company," Garrus replied.

"Perhaps some music would help?" EDI suggested.

"No, no," Seraphina said. "It's fine."

"So, uh, Shepard," Garrus said awkwardly. "New armour?"

"Yeah," she said proudly. "My official N7 uniform."

"N7?" Wrex repeated.

"It's a school for leadership and combat expertise," Garrus explained. "To graduate from there requires years of training, yet you aren't that old, Shepard."

She smiled at the compliment, "I worked hard to get where I am," she said. "As I assume you all did."

"I'm the _krantt_ for the leader of Clan Urdnot," Wrex told them. "I learnt the way of battle from fighting in actual battles."

"We all faced at least one battle during our training, krogan," Garrus remarked. "We wouldn't be Spectres if we didn't have experience."

A loud buzz rang out, by now they were getting familiar with the annoying drone.

"A file report has been sent over from Councillor Anderson," EDI announced. "Relating to your mission and the enemy."

"You mean they're actually going to tell us who the enemy is?" Seraphina asked.

"Yes," EDI replied. "The enemy is known only as Cerberus."

"Cerberus?" Garrus said.

"Very little information is available on Cerberus currently," EDI continued. "They were established as a significant threat over eighteen years ago when they began business in various trades, such as arms manufacturing to prostitution, and have made a major impact on the galaxy since their entrance. However the other Councillors have had difficulty in dealing with them because of other problems which take top priority."

"But they're just like any other criminal empire," Garrus commented. "Why would Anderson and Quentius be so concerned with them?"

"Cerberus has been linked to political corruption and is known to insert operatives into senates and parliaments in order to control the outcome of votes of law enforcement," EDI explained. "Their crimes are merely a means to fund the political nature of their empire. Anderson hopes for you to chip away at Cerberus' foundations until you make a break and manage to find out who leads them or even bring down one branch of the empire."

"A lot of work for only three people," Wrex said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Three is a standard unit size," EDI answered. "It will not arose suspicion and since Anderson fears how far Cerberus's control goes, he did not want to insert in more operatives in fear of spies."

"So we attack their operations, in hopes of finding out what they what?" Seraphina said. "It doesn't sound like a very solid plan."

"Quentius had no other options," EDI protested. "Councillors Valern and Tevos were more concerned with other things. To quote Valern,_ 'The Cerberus organization consists of too many smaller units to be considered one large empire under control of one single mind, until we have further information we will not treat them as a priority.'_"

"So even with political corruption Valern and Tevos can't see the threat?" Garrus shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what the Councillors even do in the Citadel."

"Let's just kill these bastard's," Wrex said. "Maybe then the Councillors will stop hiding and face the enemy."

"So why are we going to Omega?" Seraphina asked.

"Cerberus has established a sex slave ring on Omega," EDI answered. "This itself is an issue, but the young girls and boys who they kidnapped are from wealthy, up-standing families who have ties to royal families and politicians."

"Are they black mailing the families?" Garrus asked.

"Yes," EDI replied. "The families are ordered to obey every order sent to them, either ransom or sway the local politics, however the families are too scared to divulge any more information in relation to how they were contacted or what exactly is asked of them. Thankfully, a connection to Cerberus was made before any of the children have yet to be killed."

The shuttle approached Omega and docked with ease, there wasn't an establishment of law and order on Omega so there was no one to track the ship's movements or anyone to even give damn about the situation.

"All information is available on your Omni-tool," EDI added as they left the shuttle and entered the crime-ridden underworld that was Omega.

...

From her private booth, the Pirate Queen of Omega enjoyed a blissful drink as loud music filled the club and the asari dancers twisted around poles. The club was, as always, lively and full of happy and drunk patrons. And Aria was comfortable where she sat, surrounded by guards and in a spot that wasn't too secluded and quiet enough for her to have a few thoughts without competing with the music.

As she finished her drink, her batarian bodyguard came forwards, but not as so close that she could hurt him if he did something she didn't approve of.

"We may have a problem," he said.

Aria set her drink down and leaned back casually, "What kind of problem?" there was no hint of worry in her voice, Aria had learnt long ago that there were very few people who could pose a threat to her.

"An Alliance shipped docked not too long ago," he replied. "A krogan, a turian and a human were on board and carrying Alliance firearms - they match the description T'goni gave us."

"Then they are here to stop T'goni," Aria said. "Find and bring them here, I want to talk to them."

"T'goni said we should kill them," he reminded her.

"Do I look like I take orders from some human?" Aria growled.

"N-no, ma'am," he stammered.

"Then do as you're told," she ordered. "Bring them to me. **Now**."

...

They went deeper into the inner-workings of Omega, a world of dark silver and bright signs and strange smiles, the whole place gave Seraphina a headache and made her wish she was back at the Presidium Commons. They went in search of the informant, a drell named Feron, who had been the one to spot the enslaved children on Omega nearly three days ago.

"This isn't a very nice place," Seraphina commented.

"It's run _by_ mercenaries_ for_ mercenaries," Garrus said. "It's not supposed to be nice."

They came to the Omega Market and spotted their informant, casually leaning on wall outside the store owned by Marsh. He approached them, Wrex went for his gun.

"You're the ones the Citadel sent?" he asked.

"You must be Feron," Seraphina said.

He nodded. "If you follow me I can show you where I saw those kids," he said. "They were with a few guards, black uniform, yellow symbol. It looks like they were following T'goni's orders."

"You show a lot of concern for just an information trafficker," Garrus said. "Last time I worked with an info broker he said his peace and left."

"We're talking about kids here," Feron said. "Poor, defenceless kids stolen from their parents. When I recognized them from the missing person network, I knew I couldn't just leave you to your own devices."

They followed him to a shuttle parked near the main bay, the children were being held at Gozu District which was only accessible by shuttle. The children had been holed up in one of the apartments, and while evidence suggests they so far have not been abused, there were many clients coming to and fro from the building to cause concern.

They passed a long line leading into a club whose loud music could be heard even from outside. Suddenly, several men emerged from the building, approaching them with firearms ready. The group consisted of krogans, turians, batarians and even humans, and judging by the way they circled around the group, they meant business.

"We need you to come with us," one of the guards growled.

The partygoers began to shift uneasily, the elcor guard barely stirred and the two turian guards on the door completely ignored what was happening. Wrex raised his gun, pointing it in the face of the batarian who had barked the order at them.

"Want to say that again?" he asked.

"Aria wants to see you," the batarian said.

"And why should we care what Aria wants?" Seraphina asked.

"Aria runs Omega," Feron said quietly. "Nothing happens without her knowing."

"So she could know about the missing children?" Garrus asked.

"Yes," Feron replied. "But be careful, Aria isn't known for her... social skills."

"Wrex, lower your weapon," Garrus ordered.

"What?" Wrex snapped. "I'm not going to lower my weapon to bunch of second-class mercenaries!"

"We don't have much choice," Seraphina said. "We fight and make an enemy, or we listen and maybe get a lead."

Wrex kept his firearm raised on the batarian.

Seraphina put her hand on his arm, he glared at her but she stood her ground. She glanced to the batarian, watching where he put his gun. She moved closer to Wrex, close enough that he could hear her whisper.

"Now's not the time," she said quietly. "We need to know where these kids are and I won't let you jeopardize this mission. If you want to shoot them, shoot them when we get what we need, until then control yourself!"

She returned his hard glare, and Wrex realized that he wasn't going to get away with shooting the batarian bastard. But later he would have the opportunity. He put away his gun and the batarian released his hardened grip on his weapon. He turned, giving an audible sigh of relief, and led them into the bar.

The entrance was a moody shade of pink and the floor trembled from the vibration of the music, around them people drank and danced, and didn't seem the least bit bothered by the armed battalion that was leading a small Spectre unit into Afterlife. Living on Omega they were probably used to stranger sights.

They were led up onto the second floor and into a somewhat secluded corner where an asari with a unique set of markings along her brow sat. She had a smile on her face that was neither prideful nor overconfidence, but just a smile that said,_ "I'm in control."_ It may have been boldness, but Aria had always been in control of every tiny aspect of her life and she generally knew the outcome of all of it.

She saw the Spectre guards as not a threat or even an asset, she just saw something that would try to exploit her.

The guards remained where they were and Aria remained seated, Wrex's fingers twitched as he felt the urge to grab his gun and shoot the smug asari right in her pretty face. But he remembered his orders, and promised himself the moment he shot the batarian, it would be worth the pleasantries.

"I was told you would come," she said. "Though I must admit, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. Is this problem of yours really so dire?"

"It's nothing we can't handle," Seraphina said. "Now do you mind if we hurry this along, we want to get off this rock before the stench gets to us."

"This is over when I say it is," Aria's voice didn't waver. "Now how about you tell me why you're here."

"I thought you knew everything," Seraphina remarked.

The corner of Aria's mouth twitch, not a sign of resignation, but of annoyance. Garrus shared a wary glance with Wrex, both wondering just what the hell Seraphina was up too. She couldn't just talk to Aria this way, she had a dozen or so men ready to kill them with the first sign of retaliation, and Seraphina was goading her on.

Aria managed to compose herself and tapped the spot beside her, "Sit, human," she said. "I don't like having to look up at you."

Seraphina obeyed, but didn't sit too close.

"What I know," Aria began, "is that you're here to stop a human named T'goni from running her business."

"And her business would be?" Seraphina asked.

"Prostitution," Aria answered. "I don't entirely prove of it myself, but if that's the life they chose..."

"You don't seem to understand the situation," Seraphina said. "These children didn't want to be part of this. They were kidnapped."

A small frown creased Aria's forehead, "Kidnapped?" she repeated. "You mean to tell me that T'goni, a woman I've known for years, the provider of my finest dancers and one of the fairest women I know, kidnaps children?"

"I don't care what you believe," Seraphina replied. "I just want to talk to T'goni and sort this mess out. The kids parents are really worried."

"If you attack T'goni you hurt my business," Aria remarked. "I can't just let you walk over and destroy what she's build."

"And I can't let allow for those kids to continue to suffer," Seraphina said. "If you was a mother you would understand what it feels like to lose your child."

Something in Aria's features changed, the look in her eyes hardened and her mouth straightened into a hard line. Seraphina's heart hammered in her chest. She tried not to let her nerves show, to not let Aria know she had no idea how to play hard-boil and talking to her in such a way terrified her.

She had no idea how Aria's mind worked, or what she was going to say or do next. In all honesty, she thought Garrus would do a better job of this kind of thing, he had more experience with working with these kinds of people. But Seraphina felt she had to do this. She had to act strong and act as though she was in total control. If she was going to get anywhere in life, she had to learn to be tough.

Aria seemed to notice the looks her men were giving her, and melted back into her usually demeanour. She casually wiped at some invisible dirt on her leg, and smiled.

"I have heard the rumours of the missing children," she said. "And I know T'goni has a... colourful past."

She took a moment, lapsing into a considering silence. After a split moment she turned to her guards and nodded once, they shuffled somewhat in confusion, before most of them returned to their regular duties. Only the batarian and two turians remained.

"I'll make you a deal," she continued. "I let you do what you have to, kill T'goni and save the kids or whatever the hell you want, and in return I want a favour."

Garrus went to protest, "Shepard-"

Seraphina raised her hand, silencing him. "What kind of favour?" she asked.

"What you're planning will hurt my business until I manage to get a new contact," Aria answered. "All I want is your assurance that if I ever need you for something, _anything_, you'll come running. No questions asked."

"I'll agree only if your dogs don't bark at us again," Seraphina bartered.

"Fine with me," Aria shrugged. "Those dogs are expendable, if you feel a need to exert your authority, do so."

"Then you have a deal," Seraphina smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse us."

"Of course," Aria said pleasantly. "Do what you need to do, but remember - you owe me, Shepard."

Seraphina stood and turned to leave, Wrex and Garrus were silent. Even Feron looked a little confused as to what had just transpired. She just smiled at them.

"You heard the lady, Wrex," Seraphina said. "Exert your authority."

Wrex smiled.

He whipped out his gun, aimed at the batarian and shot him in the leg. The batarian fell to the floor, clutching his leg and swearing foully. They didn't glance back as they left, strutting out of Afterlife as if they had just achieved something. Aria watched the Spectres go, a wary look in her eyes as she allowed Shepard and her men free roam of the scum-filled void that was Omega.

But she managed to soothe her soul with the comforting thought that Seraphina Shepard owed her, and when it came to favours, Aria made sure she got her due.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Sorry I finished there, but I wanted to submit something soon and I was worried the rescue of the children wouldn't get the attention it deserves if I just squeeze it in the end. So stick around for the next chapter. As always, thanks for reading and please review!_


	6. Fifth Assignment

**Fifth Assignment**

They left the crowded Afterlife and entered the brisk air, the cool air was refreshing and cooled down Seraphina's burning face. She gave out an audible sigh of relief. She allowed the warm hue to leave her cheeks, feeling her heart beat even faster as she realized what she had just done.

She had stood up to the Queen of Omega, and got away with it.

Garrus and Wrex probably thought she was stupid, Feron thought she was insane. The only thought that ran through Seraphina's head was how good it felt to wield power, how much of a high it gave her when she managed to back Aria in a corner. How great it felt to actually get what she wanted.

"Why you didn't kill the batarian?" Garrus asked Wrex.

"Just wanted to give him a firm warning," Wrex replied. "Besides, we're supposed to be on our best behaviour."

"And speaking of best behaviour," Garrus frowned. "What the hell were you playing at, Shepard? Aria could have killed us."

"She knew killing us wasn't going to help her business," Seraphina replied. "If she attacked us and we retaliated then patrons could have been killed in the cross-fire and she would have lost customers."

"I like this Shepard," Wrex smiled. "You should be like this more often."

Seraphina tried not to smile at the compliment.

"Feron," she turned to the drell. "Can you still take us to the children?"

"Sure," he said. "As long as you don't get into a fight with Aria."

A small smile formed on her lips, the thought almost half-tempting. "I'll try not to."

...

They took a small shuttle-car to the Gozu District, taking advatange of the minutes before battle to download the building plans into their Omni-Tool and try to get an understanding of the apartment's layout and review security footage. They needed to have some sort of plan, they needed to know how many guards, if T'goni was really in charge.

Seraphina didn't like not knowing all the possibilities, there was something unnerving about not knowing.

Security footage showed the children being uploaded to the fifth floor, apartment 5F, there were two guards on the door and an estimated twenty-five in the apartment. There may have been more inside, but it was hard to tell with no footage of inside of the apartment. Then there was T'goni. Her police record said she was human born, real name Venus DeGraté. She took the name T'goni after the asari who bought her as a slave when she was five.

The asari used T'goni in child prostitution and there was a record of substance abuse. When she was twelve she poisoned the asari who owned her and took over the business, since then she's killed any opposition and anyone who would betray her. She's done anything and everything to survive. Apparently that included subjecting children to the hell she endured.

"How many kids are in the building?" Garrus asked.

"Nine," Seraphina replied. "Four boys, five girls. Three turians, two asari, one krogan, three humans and one salarian."

"Any ideas where the kids are exactly?" Wrex asked.

"I hacked into a near-by security feed to try to do an infra-red scan of the building," Seraphina said. "It looks like the children are being contained in one of the rooms, but the image is poor."

"We'll have to be careful," Garrus warned. "T'goni may use the kids as a shield."

"I hate working with kids," Wrex grumbled.

They arrived at Gozu District and parked not far from the apartment. They ordered Feron to stay with the shuttle and for him to stand-by for his next orders. They couldn't stay around and wait for the secondary unit, who lay in orbit ready for the signal, but Feron certainly had no such problem and he could mind the children at the same time.

The second unit was proving useful. They did their work and didn't question orders. Garrus wondered if they were a specialist unit, a kind of for hire service on the Citadel's payroll that knew the benefits of wealthy friends. It would explain why they had such a professional approach to the whole situation.

The trio made their way to the apartment building, falling behind cover when they came across two guards on the door. Seraphina sensed Wrex was getting twitchy, he didn't like hiding and sneaking around, he would rather charge forwards. Seraphina would have liked the same, but they couldn't risk it with children in the building.

"Take them out, Garrus," Seraphina ordered. "Quietly."

"I thought you was going to ask me to do something hard," Garrus smirked.

He pulled out his rifle; a silencer inserted into the barrel, and rested the gun against his arm as he got into position. He fired a single shot. The bullet passed through the neck of the one guard, ran through the neck of second guard and they fell to the ground.

Seraphina stared at him, jaw slack.

There was no way she could have made a shot like that; she could barely with-stand the kick-back of a rifle, never mind make such a perfect shot. She now understood what made Garrus so special. She had never seen a sharp-shooter with so much power and ability.

Seraphina stopped worshipping his skills, remebering the mission. She ducked out of cover and crept forwards, her weapon raised. She scanned the area and gave the all-clear when she saw no other agents. They followed her into the building, and wondered when exactly Seraphina was elected leader of Operation Cobra.

The first few floors were quiet, inside the rooms were still and it became very apparent that either half the rooms were empty or they knew to keep their heads down. They continued upwards until they reached floor 5F. The narrow corridor was filled with guards.

"No way we can get take all of them out silently," Seraphina observed.

"Then do this my way," Wrex said.

He readied his shot gun and charged forwards, yelling a war cry and firing wild shots at the guards. The Cerberus agents staggered back as the krogan charged towards them, killing several guards easily, smashing the butt of his gun into the faces of others when he ran out of ammo. A guard returned a shot, striking Wrex in the shoulder, bursting the armour and creating a thick wound that wept blood. Wrex barely moved, showed no sign of pain. Seraphina shot the guard. He turned to her, seeming annoyed that she felt the need to intervene.

Garrus joined in one the battle, trying to get in as many strikes as possible. There was nowhere to hide, no cover, they had to kill them before they had time to retaliate. Thankfully doing so proved easy, Wrex's head-on attack was enough to kill off a few and give the others pause for thought.

Garrus went over each corpse, checking each Cerberus agent was dead, while Seraphina examined Wrex's wound.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "It's just a flesh wound."

"It's more than that," Seraphina argued. "It's pretty bad, maybe you should hang back."

"It doesn't even hurt," Wrex said.

The defiant look continued to burn in his eyes, but she didn't want to push Wrex if his shooting arm wasn't capable of lifting a gun. She needed Wrex in top condition; she needed him to be able to fight back and help protect those children.

And she hated the sight of her allies injured.

Wrex grabbed her hand, removing it from his shoulder. "I'll be fine," he repeated. "Worry about yourself."

He gave her a very serious look, and Seraphina found herself unable to move. His eyes caught her in a state of paralysis, but not of fear. She had never found Wrex intimidating, she had worked with krogan's before, but there was something about the way he looked at her that just made her stop. Wrex could have looked away, but he found himself unable to tear himself away from her scarlet gaze. He liked her eyes, they were the same colour as his, which was unusual for a human. He remembered he still held her hand, and realized just how small it was.

Humans were strange creatures.

Garrus coughed uncomfortably. Wrex released Seraphina's hand and turned away from her, pulling a strange face as his mouth thinned out into a straight line. Seraphina felt her face flush a little, she turned to Garrus, trying to calm herself.

"Uh... all the Cerberus agents are dead," Garrus reported. "Should we move onto the apartment now?"

"Yes," Seraphina said.

"Are we really just going to charge in?" Garrus asked.

"What choice do we have?" Wrex retorted. "There's no other way around."

Seraphina readied her gun, "Alright," she said. "Wrex, you take point."

Wrex obeyed and stood before the door, Seraphina and Garrus stood either side. She nodded once. Wrex kicked opened the door and the three of them charged into the room, guns raised. Ready for whatever lay ahead. But what lay before them wasn't what they expected.

T'goni sat, alone, in the living room. She was a woman of olive skin and white hair that was shaved on the sides, leading into a pony-tail that was thrown over her shoulder. She wore a black shirt and a red jacket, the sleeves rolled up over her elbows, with plain trousers, and a gun in her hand.

"You took your time," she said. "I was told to be wary of any Spectres, but it took you three days to track me? Sloppy work. Do the Councillors just let anyone in?"

Seraphina decided to ignore her taunts. She had a quick scan of the room, spotting potential cover by a table and large television set if it ever came to a fight. But there was no room for any agents to hide, none expept the one bedroom in the far corner of the room. T'goni caught her gaze.

"The children are in there," she said. "Along with a few guards. They aren't harmed."

"Why are you doing this?" Seraphina asked. "Why make these children endure the same life you had?"

"My life was a terrible thing," T'goni agreed. "But those children aren't going to suffer the same fate."

"Then why are they here?" Seraphina asked. "Are they just bargaining chips?"

"Yes," T'goni replied.

"Then hand them over and we can settle this peacefully," Seraphina said.

T'goni stood, Wrex inched forwards.

"You know I can't let them go yet," she said. "Our work isn't done yet."

"Our?" Garrus repeated. "You mean Cerberus?"

"So the Councillors** do** know more than I thought," she laughed.

"This isn't a negotiation," Seraphina snapped. "We want those kids back and I'm sure you want to keep your head."

"My men have a heart-beat monitor that's wired to me," T'goni informed them. "You kill me, and they kill those kids. See the problem? You can't save those kids."

A look crossed Seraphina's face, it only lasted a second, but they all saw it - realization. T'goni had them backed into a corner and Seraphina had no idea how to get out. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a solution, think of a plan. This wasn't like how it was with Aria, she got lucky then, she was going to need more than luck this time.

Wrex and Garrus were a little quicker.

Garrus fired a single shot, striking her arm and knocking T'goni back against the sofa. She reached for her gun, Wrex stormed over towards her and stood on her foot. He pulled her to her feet, wrapped an arm around her throat and pushed the barrel of his gun against her temple.

"Let those kids go, _now_," Garrus ordered.

"You'll have to get through Cerberus first," she grunted.

"How many guards are in the room?" Garrus asked Seraphina.

"Uh..." she snapped out of her haze and brought up the file. "Eighteen."

"No problem," Wrex said, and called into the bedroom. "Hey! We got your leader! Come out and fight us, you cowards!"

There was movement within the bedroom and three Cerberus agents emerged, one of them dragging forwards a small human child. He couldn't have been very old, perhaps twelve, and trembling. He looked at them, eyes wide and full of tears, looking lost and scared.

"Give us our boss and we'll give you the kids," the agent said.

Seraphina looked at Wrex. He shook his head.

"We can't trust you," Seraphina replied. "You'll kill the kid as soon as you get T'goni back."

"You have my word," T'goni said. "As soon as you hand me over, you can have the kids."

Wrex looked unconvinced and Garrus' finger never moved from the trigger. Seraphina looked at her men and they had the same look on their faces, this was her call. Whatever happened, whatever went wrong, it was on Seraphina's head. And she wondered if she could handle that decision.

She looked at the little boy, his red eyes and wet cheeks, and her heart cried out to him. Her brain didn't make the decision, her heart did, and she had always been told never to do that. The battlefield wasn't a place for emotion, it was a place for cold, hard logic, and she forgot that.

"Alright then," she said. "You send the boy over first, then your boss."

"After that we'll negotiate the terms of release of the other children," Garrus added.

"Agreed," T'goni said.

The agent released his grip on the small boy; he stumbled forwards and looked sheepishly at the Spectre agents. Seraphina smiled warmly and outstretched her hand, he slowly approached her. He reached out for Seraphina's hand. Wrex cautiously released his hold of T'goni. She passed the child and glared at him. Seraphina ignored her, her fingers inches from the child's small hand.

A loud bang rang out.

Blood splattered across Seraphina's face, the child fell to the floor and a hail of bullets filled the air as Wrex and Garrus attacked. T'goni dived for cover and her men were cut down, more emerged from the bedroom and attacked. Garrus called Seraphina, ordered her to get to cover, but she couldn't hear. All she heard was a throbbing white noise.

She looked down at the dead child, his hand curled ever so slightly, as if trying to hold onto something.

A bullet whizzed past her, cutting her across the face. Her head snapped up, the Cerberus Agents still firing upon them. She spotted T'goni hiding behind the sofa and her hands curled into fists. She charged towards T'goni, ducking beneath the hail of bullets and jumped the woman. She grabbed T'goni by the hair and threw her to the ground, slamming her face into the hard floor.

Her lip burst open, blood spilling out onto the floor. She lashed out at Seraphina, scratching her across the face. She pulled away from Seraphina, reaching for her boot and she pulled out a small gun. Seraphina tackled her and she fired a wild shot at the ceiling.

"Shepard!" Wrex cried.

"She'll be fine," Garrus said. "Focus on Cerberus!"

Wrex tried to look over the sofa, but he was forced to take cover and let Shepard handle her business.

Seraphina twisted T'goni's wrist, the gun falling from her hands. Seraphina delivered a sharp punch to her face, and another, and then another. She spat blood in Shepard's face. Seraphina bared her teeth and took the gun, ramming the barrel up into her chin.

"I should shoot you right here!" she hissed. "Kill you now and end this whole thing!"

"Then why don't you?" T'goni chocked.

"You deserve punishment at the hands of the children's parents," Seraphina growled. "You'll spend your entire life in jail."

T'goni's face went blank, shocked by Seraphina's reply. A sudden smile came across her face, and she laughed.

"Jail?" she sneered. "**_Jail?_** _That's_ your punishment? Don't you realize how utterly pointless that is?"

Seraphina frowned, "What?"

"I've been in and out of jail my whole life!" T'goni said. "I know how it works, I know how far a bribe goes, and I know that an agent of Cerberus will never rot in jail. As for the parents of that kid? They'll never get justice because it doesn't _exist_!"

She lifted her hands mockingly, "Now, if you will," she said. "Let's get this over with."

The ringing began to fade in her ears as the sound of gun fire ceased. T'goni continued to smile. Something inside of Seraphina snapped, something rational that was killed by her rage. And she pulled the trigger. There was a wet explosion and T'goni's brains lay scattered across the floor. Seraphina dropped the gun and stood, going cold on the inside.

This wasn't the first time she's killed, far from it, she had lost count of how many people she had killed over the years. But T'goni, she was different. She was so smug, she knew how to manipulate the system, she was going to stroll into the police station and then walk straight back out. The parents of the child would never get their justice if she walked away.

But was this justice? A part of her screamed at her, it said _'This is justice'_, and another part argued and said, _'It's not for you to decide'._ So which was it?

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she flinched. She turned, fists still tightly clenched, but at the sight of Wrex her fist loosened. She now noticed the dead agents on the floor, her gaze flickering to the child.

"Where's Garrus?" she asked.

"Talking to the kids," Wrex answered. "They need some calming down."

"And the secondary unit?" she asked.

"En route," he replied.

Garrus re-emerged, talking soothingly to the children as he assured them they would be safe and home soon and closed the door behind.

"The kids are okay," he said. "I told them to stay in there and wait for Feron, he should be here any minute."

"Then we're ready to go," Wrex said.

"One thing," Seraphina said. "There's one thing I've got to do."

She went over to the large window and pulled the scarlet drape down, she went over to the boy and threw the cover over him. She stared at the cover, spotting darker spots as the blood soaked through.

"Now we're ready."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Thanks again for reading my fanfic and for the many positive responses, I'd especially like to thank those who have added this to their favourites - it really means a lot to me - and to 12D3 Gorillaz, n0odles and Cameroonyo for their reviews. _


	7. Sixth Assignment

**Sixth Assignment**

_'The first casualty when war comes is truth.' Hiram Johnson_

**REPORT NO. 7832**

**OVERVIEW: UNIT 1 ENTERED THE APARTMENT IN GOZU DISTRICT AND SUBSEQUENTLY HANDLED THE SITUATION WITH MINIMAL CASUALITES - TWENTY-EIGHT AGENTS UNDER CONTROL OF T'GONI (VENUS DEGRATÉ, SEE CASE FILE 230), T'GONI HERSELF AND THE SON OF GOVERNOR HEMSWORTH. THE REMAINING EIGHT CHILDREN WERE SAFELY PICKED UP BY UNIT 2. A PYSCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CHILDREN SHOWS THEY ARE SUFFERING FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, ALONG WITH DEHYDRATION. NO SIGN OF PHYSCIAL AND/OR SEXUAL ABUSE.**

**CASE CLOSED.**

* * *

_The Citadel_

Seraphina had never been much of a drinker, it seemed back in her academy days the only thing her fellow students were ever concerned with was alcohol and guns, yet Seraphina could never match the pace of the others, nor had much a desire to do so.

She didn't see the point of celebrating death with a drink, she didn't even celebrate a death - she mourned it and that was one of the rare occasions when she tried to make her way to bottom of the bottle and forget about the whole thing. She didn't head down to the Citadel bar, too many people, too much noise. Instead she confined herself to her apartment.

She had read the report and she had seen the Hemsworth Family, only in passing and only in the recorded interview between the Hemsworth and Spectre officials. Because her assignment was top secret she was unable to talk to the family and offer her condolences, in fear of alerting them to the fact she was part of the very mission that killed her child.

A day or so must have passed, she wasn't too sure considering she had spent so much time in her apartment since the mission. An analysis of her own psyche recommended she take a day or two to recover, the same for Wrex and Garrus, though neither of them appeared to have taken it as badly as her. She hadn't actually seen them in the day and a half she had been off.

Not that she was too bothered by this. She just wanted time for herself, to think things through, to try to understand the whole Cerberus situation. She thought she knew what to expect when EDI told her the truth, but she wasn't prepared for this. Cerberus wanted to benefit the human race, create a system where they were on top of the political and social ladder, they wanted humans to be respected and alleviated of their status, not considered a third-world member of the universe.

Yet they were willing to kill a child if it meant the success of the mission.

She just didn't understand it. The choice shouldn't be one or million; it should be an equal balance. One life shouldn't be sacrificed for the benefits of a thousand and vice versa. But she was being idealistic. She lived a life where sometimes hard choices needed to be made, but not like that.

That child didn't deserve to die, not because he was some pawn in a cruel game or because his parents were influential. It was a sick universe, where one made their own rules, and no matter how many laws are created or how perfect everything looked, beneath the gloss there was something rotten.

But wasn't that why she became a soldier? To make her parents proud, to make a difference, to destroy the rot and corruption and make the universe just that little bit better. Sometimes she wondered if humans had it easier back in the early days, when humans lived on Earth and the whole universe was as empty as they wished it to be.

There was a buzz at her door. She got up from the sofa, set her drink aside and went to answer the door. Wrex and Garrus stood outside, the corridor was empty and she realized how late it was by the dim lights and silence of the corridor.

"You're up late," she remarked.

"So are you," Garrus said. "And you smell of alcohol."

"A girl can't enjoy a drink?" she said.

"Not alone, she can't," Garrus replied. "There's something depressing about drinking in the dark on your own."

Wrex removed his hand from behind his back and revealed a large bottle of discoloured alcohol, Seraphina knew the infamous ready made cocktail well - a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. It was the alcoholic equivalent of a mugging - expensive and bad for the head.

"How did you get this?" she asked.

"I know someone who pillaged someone," Wrex replied.

"But you get none if you don't share with us," Garrus added.

She looked at them, and a small smile came across her face.

"I'll get the glasses," she said. "Make yourselves at home."

She went over to the bar and pulled out two more glasses as Garrus and Wrex made themselves comfortable. She took the bottle and poured them all a drink of the deadly Gargle Blaster, it fizzled and bubbled, hissing almost as the weary drinkers lifted their glasses.

"Drink it all in one go," Garrus warned. "You don't want to sip it."

"I _do_ know, turian," Wrex said. "This isn't my first Gargle Blaster."

"It may be your last," Seraphina smirked.

They stared at the drink, a small part of them unwilling to open their mouths, but that was easily drowned out by the ego -_ if they can do it, so can I_. They toasted their glasses and swallowed. Their faces twisted in pain as a splitting headache threatened to tear their skulls apart and they cried out in pain.

...

Several glasses later Wrex was laid out on the sofa, resting his head from one Blaster's too many and clutching the empty to his chest. He may have been sleeping, but he wasn't snoring as usual. Still, Seraphina didn't have the heart to move him. She sat at the bar, Garrus over the counter, the after effects of a headache creeping up at the corner of their minds.

Seraphina played with an olive that she rolled back and forth using a pick. Garrus admired the series of photographs she had set up along the wall, some of her days in the academy, others during her journey through the ships and stations. There were very few of her parents, and even fewer of her with her parents.

"I didn't know these apartments could be fitted with bars," Garrus said.

"It was a gift," Seraphina said. "One of my old tutors had it installed as a joke, he knew I wasn't a drink but said, _'You're going to need a drink or two once the shit hits the fan'_. Now I know what he meant."

"You're really torn up about the kid, aren't you?" Garrus said.

"Of course I am!" she cried. "He died and it was all my fault! I trusted that woman even though I knew her word was no good, then when I had her my emotions got the better of me! She didn't deserve a bullet to the brain, she deserved to be strung up and flogged!"

She rammed the pick through the olive. "Because of me..." she lowered her gaze. "Because of me that little boy died, afraid, hurt and without seeing his parents. I know what it's like to wait and hope, expecting the good news because it always comes..."

Garrus glanced back at the photographs, spotting one of a man and woman in military garb.

"You and Wrex act like it's no big deal," she continued. "Wrex just ignored the kid and you didn't seem to care much either."

She looked back at him, and there was a hard frown on his face. From his place on the sofa, Wrex felt the urge to say something, but his headache was still too strong. Instead he just lay there, frowning as he listened.

"You think I don't care?" he snapped. "That _we_ don't care? I know how hard it is, it's not just you who wishes things could have been different!"

"I'm... I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's... just..."

"It's okay," he said soothingly. "I know it's tough."

"How do you do it?" she asked. "How do you handle it so well?"

"I've seen a lot of dead civilians," he said. "A lot of dead kids, but that doesn't make it any easier."

"Then how do you do it?" she asked.

"I turn it off," he said bluntly. "I go into battle with a heart as cold as Mavigon. That way decisions are logical, they maybe hard, but that's just the way things are. It's probably how Wrex copes too."

"Then did I make the right decision?" Seraphina asked.

Garrus fell silent, taking about a minute to make up his mind, when he finally decided on an answer he didn't share it with her.

"It's not for me or Wrex to say if your decision was a good or a bad one," he said. "You made the choice and you have to live with it, as we have to live with our own choices."

She lifted the pierced olive, a small smile on her lips. "How come you always know what to say?" she asked.

He just smiled.

"Will you shut up?" Wrex grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep here!"

Garrus and Seraphina looked at one another, and giggled quietly, as the krogan grumbled and managed to fall asleep on the sofa of his comrade. Seraphina looked at the photo behind Garrus, the one of her parents in their military uniforms, and she wondered if she had done them proud.

_"Love me when I least deserve it, because that s when I need it the most..." - Unknown Author_

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_A very short chapter that I felt was necessary after the events of the previous chapter, as quite a few of you were very honest with how the previous chapter made you feel. And as with this chapter and the previous one I wrote it listening to the ME3 soundtrack, which is good for when you want to get into a certain frame of mind. As always, thanks for reading and please review._

_Also if you know where exactly the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster comes from I will add your name the bottom of the page in the next chapter!_


	8. Seventh Assignment

**Seventh Assignment**

_Four Days Ago. Tuchanka, Urdnot_

Deep beneath the scarred ground of Tuchanka, Bakara explored the underground bunkers that had been left to crumble and fade into memory. It was dark with very few lights still functional, there were large holes in the ceiling where the tinted orange light flooded into the forgotten catacombs and whatever remained had either been stolen or sold or simply forgotten.

Centuries ago the bunkers were necessary for the survival of the krogans when they plunged themselves into a nuclear winter and all plant life was wiped out, then later the bunkers were used when the krogan's tried to hide away from the Genopage and attempt to outbreed the plague. That however proved useless when the Genophage was injected into 90% of the bunkers and they suffered years of childlessness.

Bakara's parents were very old when they had her, old even by the ancient krogan standards. They were krogan's who lived for centuries, who had time for everything, now though with the longevity lost to the krogan race they had learnt how precious their short lives were.

It was why Bakara had dedicated her life to be being a shaman, she wanted to help the clan and stop the next generation from making the same mistakes as they did. The Krogan Rebellions did nothing but prove what happens when greed took over common sense. For their work in the Rachni Wars, the krogan's were given the conquered rachni planets but that wasn't enough.

Because of the Rebellions the Genophage was unleashed, and Bakara was determined to make sure something like that never happened again. Since her induction into Shaman priesthood, she had made it her personal quest to prevent any conflicts and investigate anything suspicious.

And that was what led her to the underground bunkers.

She went further underground, hearing the sound of a varren's paws every so often, but it didn't surprise her that the varren had set up their homes in a place that was so secure and abandoned. She followed the trail, listening out for any other sign of life, but there was none. She wondered if her information was wrong.

She went further in, the sounds began to fade and soon she stood in a large, rounded chamber filled with old scrolls and parchments that were outdated even by the time of the bunker's creation. It must have been a storage facility once, a place for the history of the krogan's to be kept in fear that one day they would fade from existence.

She squinted through the dark, trying to make out any shapes or figures, but there was none. Was her information wrong or had she been misled? A horrible feeling began to rise within her and she decided to leave. There was something very wrong about this place and she was none too keen on staying around to find out what.

She turned to leave, a chill came over her and a scroll clattered to the floor. She spun around, spotting the dusty scroll roll across the ground. A dark shadow loomed over her, she clenched her fists and turned to the enemy, and suddenly she felt light headed and ill and collapsed to the ground.

...

On the surface of Urdnot, Wreav was starting to worry. Krogan's were not known to worry about many things, they often concerned themselves with things such as war and battle and females. But Wreav was worried and he couldn't think of anything else. Bakara had gone underground and hadn't returned for some hours.

It was not unusual for Bakara to distract herself with tasks and then vanish for hours at a time, but this was different. He asked the Elders if they had heard anything, then he asked the females if she had said where she was going, desperate he started to ask any member of Clan Urdnot if they knew anything. But he got the same answer from all of them - they didn't know anything.

Wreav went down into the bunkers and spent what must have been a few hours searching for her, but there was no trace of Bakara. She had disappeared. He consulted the Elders and told them what had happened, but they seemed unconcerned. The Shaman kept to herself and that was normal, previous Shaman's could disappear for days sometimes.

But Wreav wasn't convinced, something had happened to his clan sister and there was only way person he knew who cared enough to do something about it: _Wrex_. He just hoped he could contact Wrex before something terrible happened.

...

_Now, Somewhere_

Seraphina collapsed to the floor of the shuttle, pulling the helmet from her head and throwing it to the ground. She took a deep breath, glad to breathe non-sulphuric air. Wrex and Garrus pushed past her to get their seats and it was clear they felt a little annoyed too.

Another false Cerberus lead, another abandoned base for them to spend wasted hours investigating. Ever since the incident on Omega the leads had begun to dry up, but they shouldn't have expected anything different. This was a powerful organization that many governments wouldn't touch and the Citadel was too unsure about to do anything, they were going to be careful about how they operated.

The only thing they found on that disgusting planet was a bunch of predators that seemed keen on ripping their armour off and devouring their flesh. Seraphina sadly looked over her armour, so scratched and bloody, she could barely make out the N7 insignia and her famous colours.

"How could you stand that planet?" she asked the two aliens. "It smelled... God, there's no word for that stench."

"I've smelt worse," Wrex replied calmly.

There was a familiar buzz and EDI spoke calmly. They had noticed a development in her character recently, before she had been rather stiff and professional, now there was a difference in tone and voice. She acted more like a companion and adviser than a simple messenger.

"How did your mission go?" she asked.

"It was a dead end," Garrus answered. "We found a facility, but it looks as though it was stripped bare not too long ago. I think we may have missed them by a day."

"We need to be updated sooner," Seraphina added. "I know it's hard considering we have other duties, but Operation Cobra should be our main priority."

"I will have to inform Councillor Anderson and Quentius of your thoughts," EDI said. "... Oh, before I forget, Wrex -"

He looked up, a little surprised to be addressed.

"There is a message for you from Clan Urdnot," she continued. "A krogan by the name of Wreav wishes to speak with you, he says it is urgent."

"Patch him through," Wrex ordered.

He stood and went over to the terminal as a glitchy hologram of Wreav appeared; it appears as though the terrible quality was caused by some interference as the image twitched and faded every few seconds. Wreav didn't seem too concerned though, he was clearly relieved to see he had finally gotten through.

"Wrex, I need your help," Wreav said. "I spoke to the Clan Elders but they were of no use, I asked the females and -"

"Wreav, stop," Wrex cut in. "Just tell me what's wrong."

"Bakara's gone missing," Grunt answered. "She went into the bunkers and disappeared, no one's seen her since."

"No one saw her come out?" Wrex asked.

"They saw her go in," Grunt confirmed. "At first I thought she had gotten lost... but she knows the bunkers better than any of us."

Wrex frowned.

Seraphina looked at him carefully, noticing how hard his expression was, but spotted trace amount of worry in his eyes. She didn't know a lot about Wrex, he spoke little, but she knew enough to know who Bakara was and what she meant to him. She wasn't just his clan sister, she was his brood sister, they shared the same mother.

EDI suddenly quipped in, "I have some information that may be of some relevance here," she said.

"Care to share this information?" Garrus asked.

"I was to inform you when you returned to the Citadel," EDI began. "But it seems Bakara is connected to a string of serial kidnappings."

"What?" Wrex gasped.

"I will let Dr Solus explain," EDI said.

A second hologram appeared beside Wreav and they were all surprised to see a salarian scientist, one of his horns was clearly shorter than the other - presumably broken or damaged - with scars visible on his body and he appeared to be an older salarian, but with such short life times it was hard to tell what was considered old by salarians.

"This is Mordin Solus," EDI introduced. "He contacted Anderson not long ago with concerns over missing krogan females."

"Yes," Mordin said. "Several missing in last week, all krogan, all second-generation females. Worry it maybe Ríocht Marfóir."

"Ríocht Marfóir?" Wreav repeated. "Who's that?"

"Turian scientist," Mordin explained. "Objected to Genophage Cure, tried to reintroduce it, then disappeared before had chance."

"You think she's managed to create a new formula?" Seraphina asked.

"Certain," Mordin replied. "Grandfather worked on original formula, had plans for a better, stronger Genophage if anything happened. Could explain missing females, experiments to test formula."

"How the hell are we supposed to find her?" Seraphina asked. "She's been off grid since the Genophage Cure, right? That was nearly twenty-six years ago. She could be anywhere."

"No," Mordin interjected. "Not anywhere, Knossos System."

"Knossos?" Garrus repeated. "There are research bases there?"

"Only one," Mordin replied. "Set up on asteroid belt, abandoned shortly after funding was lost. Recent activity suggests expensive new expedition, Cerberus funding."

The word seemed to echo hollowly throughout the shuttle - _Cerberus_. As if Seraphina didn't have reason enough to hate them for the Omega Incident, now Wrex had just learnt they were trying to destroy his species. But why? What purpose could destroying the krogan's possibly serve?

They were an incredible military asset, but so were the turians and asari. So why rid themselves of the krogan's when a much bigger threat would be a species like the asari? Every other species had a lifespan of a few decades, the asari lived for centuries, surely they would be the main target with their advanced biotic skills and tremendous military power.

So why go after the krogan's?

"I have a bad feeling about this," Garrus said. "Something doesn't seem... right. I understand why Ríocht would want to kill the krogan's, but it doesn't make sense in the long run."

"I came to the same conclusion," Mordin said. "I believe Cerberus is using Ríocht."

"How much do you know about Cerberus?" Seraphina asked him.

"Other than xenophobic and wish to rule universe?" Mordin said. "Not much. But believe they will use formula against other species."

"You mean kill every other species until the humans are all that remains?" Seraphina gasped. "But that's insane! The universe is too big for just one species, it needs to be shared and divided."

"We need to stop Ríocht before this gets too far," Wrex said. "EDI, take us to Knossos - now."

"Are you sure?" EDI asked. "You have limited supplies and -"

"Already at the base," Mordin cut in. "I have many supplies, enough for all, but time is short."

"... Very well," EDI said. "Changing course."

"I shall see you then," Mordin said and cut transmission.

Wrex turned to Wreav, "I'll get Bakara back," he assured him. "You just keep your mouth shut about what you heard."

Wreav nodded, wordlessly, allowing Wrex to handle the situation.

...

Wrex was silent as the shuttle sped through space; he hadn't said one word since cutting communication with Wreav. He was trying not to show it, but he was worried, who wouldn't be? A turian will the power to reintroduce the Genophage was bad enough, but a turian with a formula that had the potential to wipe out all foreign life? On a scale to one to ten, ten wasn't serious enough.

They had just left one mass relay and entered another, and now were heading towards Knossos' asteroid belt. Mordin was waiting for them outside of the base and had a few toys that would enable their takeover of the base be much easier. As far as he knew, there was no organic life besides Ríocht in the base, so he was taking some precautions by disabling security consoles.

Garrus was sat at the cockpit, opening a private conversation with Quentius to discuss the shuttle. They were going further and further with each new mission and the shuttle wasn't made for such long journeys, they needed a new shuttle or possibly even a ship if they were expected to keep up with Cerberus.

Seraphina sat besides Wrex, watching the krogan in the corner of her eye. She didn't know what to say to him, didn't know how to comfort him. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't want to be comforted or talked down to, as often happened when one tried to soothe another. There was only thing she thought of doing that may be of some help to a warrior facing the possibility of extinction.

She tentatively reached for his hand, hesitating for a second before she rested her hand on his. He didn't look at her and she went to pull back, when his large hand suddenly grasped hold of hers and squeezed.

He looked at her, face emotionless, but his hold saying more than words ever could.

They finally arrived at the base and met up with Mordin outside of his salarian spacecraft and restocked on supplies. The base was fairly large with four floors, one on the surface and the rest built beneath the asteroid's surface. The main laboratory was on the third floor, the first and second floor were merely built as defence and the fourth floor was where all matters of security were handled, such as surveillance, armour, etc.

Mordin had already disabled all surveillance and left it to play a continuous loop, at the same time he hacked into the system to find where exactly Ríocht was. She was in her lab, appearing to still be working on the formula, with her were the females.

"There is, however, a problem," Mordin said. "Base is filled with mechs."

"What kind of mechs?" Seraphina asked.

"LOKIs," Mordin replied. "Maybe other models, but cannot tell until get inside."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wrex growled. "Let's go my females back!"

He charged into the building, Garrus watched him go with a frown.

"His females?" he said.

"Don't question it," Seraphina said. "The mission will go much easier if we just let him take charge."

"If you say so," Garrus shrugged.

He and Seraphina followed Wrex into the base; Mordin watched them go with a look similar to amusement on his face.

"Interesting team," he said. "Must conduct more research."

The main chamber of the base was plain and white with hard metal floors, at the far end of the room was an elevator and at the entrance of the chamber was two empty desks. There were no mechs, but they almost expected that. Ríocht had managed to keep her head down for years and she was yet to learn of their presence, it was fair to say she was feeling a little confident.

They took the elevator down to the second floor and entered another large chamber, similar to the first, except this one contained several smaller rooms and dozens of LOKI mechs currently in hibernation mode. Mordin brought up a map on his Omni-Tool, a small section highlighted on the third and fourth floor.

"Mech control station here," Mordin pointed to the section on the fourth floor. "Can shut down mechs, but will require back-up."

"What about Ríocht?" Wrex asked. "We can't leave the females with her!"

"I'll take care of her," Garrus said. "There's no guarantee these mechs will stay stationary for long, you and Seraphina stand the better chance of handling them while Mordin sees to the controls."

"You think I'm leaving the fate of my species to a turian?" Wrex snapped.

"It's not just your species!" Garrus retorted. "If Mordin's theory is true, then they're going to kill every other race."

Seraphina turned to the LOKIs, watching as their small lights began to shine and they stiffly stood. They must have reactivated at the sound of the foreign voices, which meant Ríocht knew that there are intruders in the base.

"Wrex, we don't have time to argue," Seraphina interjected. "Garrus stands the better chance of handling Ríocht, she may not react as so badly to another turian. But if she sees you she may kill the females!"

Wrex noticed the mechs which were preparing to attack them, and he realized what little time they had.

"Fine," he sighed. "Go! But if Bakara or any of the other females are hurt -"

"I know," Garrus smirked slightly. "You'll kill me, right?"

He and Mordin ran towards the elevator, the mechs fired at them. Seraphina and Wrex fired at the LOKIs, knocking down the first wave and cutting a clear path for Mordin and Garrus. The mechs returned fire, Seraphina and Wrex dived for cover behind the columns supporting the ceiling.

Mordin and Garrus reached the elevators and safely got inside, leaving Wrex and Seraphina to fight off the mech horde.

...

Ríocht watched the surveillance, having removed the loop and was now accessing the situation. The seven krogan females were placed into cylinder tubes along the side of the wall, a strong sedative gas was released every ten minutes in order to keep them weak. One of them had already died, the formula proved too powerful for what was required.

She watched as the salarian and turian entered the elevator and the krogan and human stayed behind, making short work of her mechs. She knew the LOKIs were weak, they were merely cannon fodder, something to throw into the fray when she needed to make a getaway.

But she couldn't leave, not now, not when she was so close to perfecting her formula.

In the cold container, Bakara fought the drugs and opened her eyes. She spotted Ríocht and tried to muster the strength to break free, but she couldn't even clench her fist. She spotted the screen Ríocht was so contently observing and saw a krogan blast the mechs that came after him, she thought the krogan looked almost like Wrex.

...

Garrus got off at his floor and saw the dozen of doors in the corridor; Mordin helpfully pointed out the right door and wished him luck. Mordin continued on his way down and entered the fourth floor, a smaller room filled with monitors and controls and consoles and was very poorly lit with just the faintest red light.

He approached the controls, sheathing his gun and pulling out a small device. He scanned the controls, searching for the main switch to turn off the LOKIs. He found it, a small green switch, and flicked it. A large light besides the switch began to glow red and the screen before him switched on, revealing a large mech that suddenly activated.

"Oh..." Mordin said. "Unfortunate."

...

The LOKIs twitched and suddenly collapsed to the floor thanks to Mordin's intervention. Wrex kicked one, checking to see if it was deactivated, and then charged towards the elevator.

"Wrex, wait!" Seraphina ordered. "Garrus can handle Ríocht! I need you here."

"The mechs are taken care of," Wrex pointed out. "You don't need me."

She frowned, looking down at the fallen security robot. Something didn't seem right. LOKIs were not necessarily a strong force, so it was understandable why Ríocht would use them as a distraction, but she hadn't left - they would have been informed otherwise. Ríocht had to have a back-up plan; she was too smart to not think ahead.

Her intercom buzzed and Mordin hacked into her signal, "We have problem," he said. "Deactivation of LOKIs activated something else."

"Activated what?" she asked.

Wrex stood by the elevator, turning to her.

"It's a -"

A section of the wall exploded and Seraphina was thrown into a column, cracking her head against the ground. Chunks of debris flew across the air and from the large opening emerged an ATLAS. The lumbering brute creaked as it walked over the mess it had created, it aimed at Wrex and fired.

Wrex ripped the door off the elevator and used it as a shield as a hailstorm of bullets threatened to tear him apart. He looked for Seraphina and found her lying still on the ground, a bloody gash on her forehead. He charged towards her, throwing the door like a boomerang. It struck the ATLAS' canopy and the glass shattered, it swatted at the obstacle with its claw.

Wrex grabbed Seraphina and shook her, trying to wake her. He saw the puddle of blood that begun to pool around her head and he gingerly touched the back of her head, feeling a large cut.

"Can you turn that thing off?" he asked Mordin.

"Password necessary to initiate deactivation," Mordin replied. "Would take too much time. Shepard is injured, she needs seeing too."

Seraphina groaned and pushed Wrex away, "I'm fine," she objected. "Mordin, shut down the mech. Wrex and I will keep it busy."

"You're bleeding from a crack in your head," Wrex argued. "You're in no condition to fight."

She stood and retrieved her gun, "As long as I have a gun in my hand, I can fight," she protested. "Now get up, krogan, and fight!"

Wrex smirked and stood, "When did humans get so tenacious?" he joked.

The elevator door flew overhead and crashed into a column, the ATLAS turned to them, revealing its empty cock pit. It was being controlled by an artificial intelligence? That made things just that little bit more complicated. Seraphina fired up her Element Zero nodules and her body began to glow with her biotic power.

"I'll hit it high, you hit it low," she ordered.

"Yes, Commander," he said mockingly.

"Commander?" she repeated with a smiled. "I like that. Commander Shepard. You'll have to start calling me that from now on."

...

Garrus entered the lab, a narrow room, not much bigger than the control room below. One half of the room was covered by equipment, the other large cylinders where he spotted the female krogan's. One cylinder was empty and instead the krogan was laid out onto the table, a white cloth thrown over her. Bakara frowned at the sight of the male turian.

Ríocht was at her work bench as the monitor relayed the battle between his team mates and the ATLAS, and it didn't seem to be going well. Seraphina was bleeding from a bad head wound and was not at her best, and every time she fell back or was struck, Wrex ran to her and left himself open to fire.

They needed to end this, now.

Garrus readied his weapon and aimed it at the back of Ríocht's head. She froze at the feel of the weapon against her head, she raised her arms to her head and slowly turned to face Garrus. She was an older turian, dressed in a smooth scientist's uniform and her face was badly scarred where it appeared her markings had been removed by some sort of laser surgery.

He was aware that many colonies forced the removal of markings from turians who had been forced into exile, he never really agreed with it until now.

"I knew they would send you to face me," she said. "But you were wrong in assuming that the presence of a fellow turian would be enough to get through to me and make me consider my actions."

"I never planned on such a thing," Garrus replied. "I just hoped you wouldn't react too badly to me, and I was proven right."

"You're a fool," she growled. "The krogan will destroy us all."

"And who told you that?" Garrus asked. "Cerberus?"

"I know because my ancestors fought in the Krogan Rebellions," she answered. "Those pointless years of war were fought because the krogan's were greedy bastards who wouldn't return planets they stole, even when the Genophage was introduced they still fought - maybe in less numbers - but there was no stopping them. The Cure did nothing either, just because krogan's live less years doesn't mean they'll be less of a problem."

"And you think helping Cerberus will aid you in your crusade?" Garrus asked. "You don't seem to realize that Cerberus are using you."

"What?" she frowned.

"They will use your formula to kill the krogan's and turians," Garrus explained. "Then they'll kill the asari, the batarians, drell and elcor, they'll kill everyone in order to accomplish their goals."

"N-no," she protested weakly. "They wouldn't... I'm trying to save our kind... I -"

Garrus fired a single shot, right between her eyes. She fell back against her work bench, blood dripping over her work, and she slowly slumped to the floor. Garrus looked over Ríocht's work, the potential for a biological warfare that would destroy everything and everyone, and decided that he was going to burn everything.

...

Mordin kept an eye on the screen as he tried to decrypt the password, a thousand or so options appearing in the space as Wrex and Seraphina battled the ATLAS. It knocked Wrex into a wall and its claw enclosed around Seraphina, pinning her to the ground and squeezing, she screamed in pain.

Mordin felt the tiniest prick of panic in him.

Then, result, he broke the code and switched the ATLAS off. Just in time, too.

...

The ATLAS' claw continued to constrict around Seraphina and she heard something crack, she gasped in pain and went still. Wrex forced himself to his feet and fired another round of his shot gun. The ATLAS turned to him, firing up its machinegun, and stopped. It just stopped, as if frozen in place.

"ATLAS deactivated," Mordin informed.

"And the females?" Wrex asked.

"One of them didn't make it," Garrus replied. "Bakara and the others seem to be in good condition, if a little sedated."

"Seven out of eight..." Wrex drifted into silence.

It was not the result he wanted, even one dead krogan was a major blow to his species fragile existence.

"I'll bring them up once they're ready," Garrus said. "Mordin is coming to your position now to check on Shepard."

Wrex turned to Seraphina, who still lay on the floor. He ran towards her, pushing the ATLAS away. It broke away with ease and fell to the ground with a loud clatter. He raised her head, tapping her cheek, but she didn't respond. Her eyes didn't open. She was barely breathing.

"Shepard!" he called. "Shepard! Wake up! Seraphina!"

He looked around in a panic, "Salarian!" he yelled. "Salarian! I need you, Seraphina's not waking up!"

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Thanks as always for reading and reviewing, and as promised a shout-out to: n0odles, Morrigan Fey, Raven Jadewolfe and Magophony for knowing the origin of the Gargle Blaster! But a huge thank you to n0odles, who tried her best to help me with a problem I was having with my game._

_And in case anyone was curious, 'Ríocht Marfóir' is Irish/Gaelic for 'Kingdom Slayer'._


	9. Eight Assigment

**Eight Assignment**

_The Citadel_

In the office of Councillor Quentius, Garrus was enjoying a drink of Palaven made turian brandy, and enjoying said drink in the company of the high-standing turian who had made all his recent success possible. Being in the Councillor's office for a private meeting was honour enough, but to share a drink with him? If he was able to, Garrus would certainly show off his accomplishment to his father.

Garrus sat on the sofa as Quentius finished his call with Councillors Tevos and Valern. They both had been informed of Ríocht Marfóir's plans, it was too big a plot to hide from them and it was best they be kept updated on such things and keep the trust between them strong. If they ever learnt of the plan then they would have reason to distrust Quentius and Anderson, and with such a delicate plan in operation they couldn't afford any slip-ups.

Quentius, had however, proded them about Cerberus, but they dismissed all possible ties between Ríocht and Cerberus. There was no possible way to link Ríocht with Cerberus except for what she said, but they couldn't use what she said as evidence in case of alerting them to Operation Cobra. Not that Quentius minded that the other Councillors dismissed Cerberus so easily.

He told Tevos and Valern what the squad had accomplished, he simply inquired if Cerberus could be responsible, and they responded as they normally did - act as though Cerberus wasn't a problem. Before he may have been annoyed, but now with his own private squad he thought it all worked out in his favour rather well. If Tevos and Valern were not concerned with Cerberus, then he would be able to follow all possible Cerberus leads without their interference.

Quentius joined Garrus on the sofa and refilled his drink.

"Tevos believes a promotion to a second star would be a justified award for your actions," Quentius informed him. "But she wants more proof of your work."

"Saving the universe from infertility isn't good enough?" Garrus asked.

"Nothing is ever good enough for that woman," Quentius replied. "It's what I like about her, always demanding more, seeking perfection."

"I never knew you had a thing for asari," Garrus smirked.

"Be careful what you say, Vakarian," Quentius warned. "These walls have ears. I'm a married turian and if it got out that I..."

He slipped into silence and shook his head, "It doesn't matter," he said. "Forget what I just said."

He gulped down his drink and poured himself another, Garrus was pretty sure that was his third one.

"How is Shepard?" Quentius asked.

"She's recovering," Garrus answered. "But she lost a lot of blood and suffered a broken rib; Doctor Chakwas says she's a fighter though and should be ready for action soon."

"And the female krogan?" he inquired.

"All returned safely to Tuchanka and their respected territories," Garrus replied. "But we still don't know how Ríocht managed to capture them all. The females can't seem to remember anything useful either."

"We still don't know how deep Cerberus' corruption goes," Quentius said. "It's highly possible they had inside informants or undercover spies. But we are making progress. If not for your intervention, Ríocht may have actually succeeded."  
...

_Huerta Memorial Hospital, Inpatient Wing_

Councillor Anderson had taken some time from his duties to visit his favourite Spectre, though he would never openly admit it, but Seraphina was like family to him. He had no children himself and none of his marriages ever seemed to work out. Once, her parents even asked if he would be her godfather, but he had protested and said the family would never have a need of him.

Boy, was he wrong.

He got a few surprised looks when he entered the Memorial Hospital, Councillors rarely left their own chambers and offices. Even their guards rarely saw them. Thankfully Dr Chakwas easily took control of the situation and calmly greeted the Councillor. She led him to Seraphina's room, where she lay starring at a beautiful collection of flowers placed beside her bed.

They looked almost like roses, but were a strange midnight light blue tone with red thorns and small purple diamonds that seemed to grow from the flesh of the petals. He knocked the door and she turned to him, a smile came across her face, but it seemed painful. She sat up and hissed from the effort.

Anderson chuckled, "Just like your father," he said. "Didn't know when to relax."

"What are you talking about?" she grimaced. "I know how to relax."

He pulled up a chair and sat down, "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better," she said. "It hurts to move, but other than that I'm fine. I can return to duty soon."

"Tevos wants to reward you a second star for effort in fighting Ríocht," Anderson informed her. "You've only been a Spectre for how long? A month or two? And yet you're going to have another star."

"They know about Ríocht?" she frowned.

"It was too big a secret not share," Anderson explained. "They needed to be made aware of her plan in case any of her work remains and can be disposed of."

"How are Bakara and the others?" she asked.

"They seemed to have put the whole thing behind them," Anderson replied. "They returned to their regular lives as soon as they got home."

"Good," she smiled and lay down. "I was worried that maybe they were upset or -"

"They're krogan," Anderson said. "Being kidnapped and held captive is probably the least of their worries... Seraphina, do you remember what you said to me when you became a Spectre? What you promised to do once you got that second star?"

Seraphina looked at him, brushing her hair behind her ear and nodded.

"Are you still going to do it?" he asked. "You've managed to grow it so long, seems a waste to cut it."

She bit her bottom lip, silently agreeing with him. She had made a promise to herself to never cut her hair, only when she finally became a Spectre and earned the respect of a second star would she cut her hair. Her father did a similar thing when he was younger, but his ambitions were to become a lieutenant in the army and his hair was nowhere near as long as hers when he finally reached the status.

He had said it was part of discipline, to keep a promise and follow it through, though his promise was challenged when he first enrolled in the army and his hair was shaved short, leaving him to start from the beginning. Seraphina had thought she had been good so far in keeping her promise, following her discipline, but she had grown so accustomed to the look she didn't know if she could handle it being short.

An asari nurse knocked at the door and entered the room. She whispered something in Anderson's ear, he sighed.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you," Anderson said. "Tevos and Valern wish to see me."

"Do what you must, Councillor," Seraphina said. "I'll be fine here."

"I'll try to come see you once I have time," he promised. "And think about your promise, Seriph. I don't want to cut it and then regret it."

He stood and headed for the door.

"Anderson," she called. "Thank you for the flowers."

"The flowers?" he said. "They aren't off me."

"They aren't?" she said.

"No," he replied. "I ordered you some chocolates, but I have no idea where they went."

He waved goodbye and quickly left.

Seraphina lay in her bed, frowning at the strange roses. If they weren't off Anderson then who were they off? She had never been a huge fan of flowers, but these blue roses she liked, there was something so deliciously exotic about them. But where did they come from? She called the asari nurse back in.

"Is everything alright, Miss Shepard?" the nurse asked.

"Yes," Seraphina replied. "I was just wondering if you knew who dropped these flowers off."

"I'm afraid I don't know," she replied. "Last night someone sneaked in and left them here."

"Oh..." Seraphina said sadly.

"But I do know what kind of flowers they are," the nurse offered. "If that would be of any help."

Seraphina looked at her, urging her to continue.

"They are called Urdnot Roses," she continued. "Tuchanka's planet is beginning to recover from its nuclear winter and wars, and these flowers are amongst many new fauna that appeared some years ago. They grow only in Urdnot and are known to give off a scent that helps ease the pain of humans."

The nurse went over to the vase of flowers and retrieved a small card and handed it to Seraphina.

"It's not signed," she said. "But this may indicate who left them."

She promptly left, having other patients who were in need of her healing touch. Seraphina looked at the card, turning it over to the read what was enscribed, and she didn't know how to respond. A part of her wanted to laugh, another was confused and the third part of her being just didn't know what to make of the gift.

She read the card again, and this time she smiled.

_'To Commander Shepard.'_

To Be Continued...

* * *

_Another short conclusion, because it's easier to fit something like this into a small chapter than try to squeeze it into the end of another. And I'm rather proud I managed to submit two new chapters, even if one **is** considerably smaller than the other. Thanks for reading and please review! And to keep you waiting, a little preview:_

_Before the team can get their next star they're going to need to conduct one more mission and this one proves just how drastic and dangerous Cerberus can be! Featuring a well known quarian, Tali needs the team's help in proving her innocence and preventing another Geth/Quarian Conflict._


	10. Ninth Assignment

**Ninth Assignment**

_Knossos, Ríocht Marfóir's Research Facility_

The Cerberus agent stopped beside the congealed pool of blood and took a sample, he was sure it was Shepard's blood and as part of his reconnaissance he was ordered he try to take a sample. He wasn't sure why, he never saw anything special in the woman. Besides, she was infected by the company she kept; she was of no use to Cerberus.

He went down to the laboratory and was met by several Alliance guards, there had been a few of them on each floor, but he had made quick work of them. They barked an order but he barely heard them over the sound of his sword being pulled from its sheath. They gave him another order; he charged and swung his blade, severing the head of the loud guard.

They fired at him, he twisted his body and avoided the shots, coming up close to the Alliance forces and swept his blade through them. He cut them through the middle, blood gushing from their wounds as they fell to the ground in two pieces. He walked through the red pool and entered the lab. There were no guards in here, which was shame, he sort of looked forwards to cutting them down.

He noticed a dark scorch mark on Marfóir's work bench; it appeared as though someone had burnt all her research. Pity. He searched the lab, checking all the secret compartments and holes in the walls, but there was nothing remaining of Marfóir's formula. She must have realized how dangerous it was if someone decided to use it against her.

He left the lab and returned to the surface, passing the dead guards he had earlier eliminated and entered his ship. As the craft powered up and left the asteroid belt, he called his master.

"Anything to report, Kai Leng?" the power behind Cerberus asked.

"All of Marfóir's notes have been destroyed," Kai Leng answered. "There are no digital copies, she wrote everything down and the formula itself has been destroyed. Did any of the other cells manage to create a serum?"

"No," he replied. "Without Marfóir they were unable to complete their work and I have disbanded the operation temporarily. For now I've decided to focus my attention on other things."

"I have Shepard's blood," Kai Leng informed. "But can I ask why you wanted it?"

"I didn't want it," he replied. "One of the cells requested a sample of her blood as part of some experiment."

"This cell wouldn't happen to be the Shadow Alliance, would it?" Kai Leng frowned. "If it is, I strongly advice restricting their power. They do good work, but..."

"I know," he said. "Their experiments often lead to unsavoury results, but on the long run they will be of some use. Return to base for your next assignment, and don't you worry about the Shadow Alliance, I'll handle them."

"Yes, sir."

...

Hidden in cover, the young quarian took a deep breath and clutched her gun as one would the cross. Around her were the sounds of footsteps and angry voices, some voices were quarian, another of a geth she had come close to trusting. But now she it seemed her friendship with the geth would have to wait, for now she would have to get off the ship.

The voices passed and she moved out of cover, heading for the one of the emergency escape pods. No one on board was going to listen to her, not her own kind and certainly not the geth. She was going to need outside help, and the only place she was going to get that was the Citadel.

She just hoped they would listen.

...

_The Citadel, Huerta Memorial Hospital_

Garrus and Wrex came off the elevator and arrived at the hospital, Garrus carrying a rather large box. They were met by a few odd looks, but they were used to the looks by now. People weren't used to seeing a turian and krogan choosing to work alongside one another, and more than that, they actually seemed to be getting along.

Garrus had noticed a slight change in Wrex since they rescued his sister, he still called referred to Garrus as _'turian'_ but he no longer glared at him so often. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

They went to the reception and asked for Seraphina. Today she left the hospital after only three days, they recommended she stay longer, but she insisted on leaving. The nurse disappeared for a moment and returned some minutes later with Seraphina. She smiled at them, carrying a bouquet of unusual roses in her hand. She thanked the nurses and doctors and left with Garrus and Wrex.

"So what's in the box?" she asked as they entered the elevator.

"Your armour," Garrus replied. "Anderson had it repaired and repainted in time for your leave."

"I didn't miss anything, did I?" she asked. "Nothing I need to know of?"

"No," Wrex said.

"Who are the flowers off?" Garrus asked.

"Not sure," Seraphina replied. "I have a... inkling, but I'd rather have more evidence before I follow up on my lead. Oh, and I want you to start calling me Commander for now on."

"Why?" Garrus frowned.

"Don't you think it sounds good?" she asked. "Commander Shepard, it has a nice ring to it."

"If you say so," Garrus shrugged.

Garrus' Omni-Tool suddenly came online and they were greeted by Quentius' voice.

"Afternoon," he greeted. "I trust Seraphina is with you?"

"Yes," Garrus replied. "Wrex and I just picked her up."

"Good, I need you for a mission," he said.

"Seraphina just got out of the hospital," Wrex pointed out. "She's not ready for-"

"Wrex, I'll be fine," she assured. "My work is more important than my health."

He seemed unconvinced, but didn't question her.

"What exactly do you need us to do?" Garrus asked.

"I need you for something a little more... political," Quentius replied. "And far easier to explain in person. Come down to my office and I'll explain."

The trio shared a look, why would Quentius want them for a politically charged assignment?

...

Entering Quentius' office the team were greeted by a quarian, who stood pacing the floor nervously. She didn't react to their entrance. Quentius got up from his seat, he frowned at the sight of Seraphina's flowers and the box Garrus was carrying, but he decided now was not the time to address such an insignificant thing.

He gestured for the quarian to come forwards and soothingly rested his hands on her shoulders, she seemed nervous in the presence of the team.

"This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," he introduced. "The Migrant Fleet has branded her a traitor and is certain to execute her for what she has been accused of."

"And what is that?" Seraphina inquired.

"I'd best let her explain," Quentius said.

"Uh, alright," Tali said slowly. "I'm... an engineer on the Migrant Fleet, working on the engines, checking the cooling stations. A few days ago I was transferred to work on with a geth named Legion on its ship, it's the only geth I know that can operate outside the Perseus Veil and interact with organics. On board his ship I dedicated an abnormality on its engine, a... bomb."

"Someone was going to blow up its ship?" Wrex said.

"Not someone - Cerberus," Quentius corrected. "Their mark was found within the structure of the bomb, hidden between the core and reactor."

"So the bomb was disarmed," Seraphina said.

"Yes," Tali replied. "But the problem is the bomb was constructed out of quarian technology and Legion insists it had checked the engines before I got on board the ship, then when I got on-"

"There was suddenly a bomb," Garrus finished. "I understand, they think you were trying to kill Legion. And aggressive behaviour such as that could have seriously harmed the geth/quarian relationship."

"Rumours were Legion was collecting data to return back to the geth to decide if the quarians were ever to return home," Tali said mournfully. "Apparently our leaders were in talks to have Rannoch returned to us..."

"But why they would think you planted the bomb?" Seraphina asked. "You were the one who discovered it and reported it."

"I believe someone on board her ship is a Cerberus spy," Quentius said. "When the bomb was disarmed they blamed the first person they could."

"Then we need to find this spy," Wrex said. "We have to get on board the Fleet."

"I have requested passage onto the Fleet," Quentius said. "I'm waiting for a reply from Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. But Tali cannot go with you, with the charges it's far too dangerous to allow her to leave the Citadel."

"I don't understand why someone would want to do this..." Tali muttered. "The geth and us had just started to get onto good terms, now though this could lead to another war."

"It's probably what this spy was hoping for," Seraphina remarked. "They want the quarians and geth to fight, probably in order to wipe out the opposing force."

"We can't know for sure until we get on board," Garrus interjected. "This could be a number of things."

Quentius stepped aside for a moment to answer his communicator; they waited expectantly for the response. He nodded once and answered with a 'thank you', he turned to them.

"We have permission to go aboard the Migrant Fleet."

...

Standing again in the small storage unit Seraphina put on her N7 armour, now clean of blood and freshly painted, and she felt confident. The thought of handling such a situation was rather daunting, but now with her armour and a gun in her hand she felt she was ready for anything.

She left the small room and entered the cockpit, looking at the large screen where the Migrant fleet came into view. It was an impressive armada, roughly fifty thousand star ships that slowly drifted through space on a nomadic quest that the quarians desperately wished would one day end. On board one of those many ships was the spy, now they just to find them.

They docked beside one of the ships and were met with the geth Legion and Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. They saluted her, but the quarian seemed to be in no mood.

"Where is Tali?" she asked.

"She is to remain in the Citadel until the situation has been defused," Seraphina replied.

"And you are?" Shala'Rann asked.

"I'm-"

"This is Commander Shepard," Garrus introduced. "She's the... leader of our little unit."

Wrex smirked.

"Very well... _Commander_," Shala'Rann said with the hint of suspicion. "I will allow you to handle the situation. What do you need of us?"

"First I'd like to see Legion's ship and gather everyone who was present when the bomb was discovered," Seraphina ordered.

"The ship has been taken apart," Shala'Rann informed them. "To make sure there were no other hidden surprises we were forced to take the ship apart, as for everyone who was present at the time there was only three of them - Legion, Tali and Golo'Mekk vas Usela."

"Where's Golo now?" Seraphina asked.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion spoke up. "Golo is not responsible for the bomb."

"And how would you know?" Wrex questioned.

"Golo was with us entire trip," Legion replied. "He never left our side. Only Tali was absent on several occasions for a number of minutes."

"I'd still like to talk to Golo," Seraphina said. "Where is he?"

"He is in his quarters," Shala'Rann replied. "Come, I shall show you."

They followed her and Legion deeper into the ship and Wrex became a little suspicious, he leaned in towards Seraphina.

"Doesn't this seem a little strange?" he asked.

"What?" she inquired.

"All that they're saying makes it sound as though Tali _is_ guilty," Wrex replied. "So why did she find the bomb and run to the Citadel to prove her innocence?"

"Someone is lying," Seraphina said, "or there's something we're missing."

"Like Golo's side of the story?" Wrex said.

"Exactly," she said.

They came to Golo's quarters and entered the room, a rectangular shaped room with a bed and little else. Golo wasn't there.

"Do quarians own so little?" Garrus asked.

"No," Shala'Rann replied, insulted. "Quarians may not have much in comparison to turians, but we own more than this."

"It looks like Golo packed his things and left," Seraphina said. "Not exactly the actions of an innocent man."

Shala'Rann pulled out her communicator, "Veetor, can you lock onto Golo's signal and relay me his coordinates?" she asked.

"He's in the shuttle bay," Veetor replied. "Preparing to take off with one of our ships."

"Ground that ship!" she ordered. "Golo is not to leave the station!"

"Legion, take us to the shuttle bay," Seraphina commanded.

"At once, Shepard-Commander," Legion obeyed.

They ran from the room and down the ship's corridors, pushing past confused quarians and annoyed soldier until they got the shuttle bay and met up with Veetor, who pointed out the ship in question. It wasn't very large, not much bigger than their own shuttle in fact, with the back entrance still open.

They cautiously approached the ship, firearms raised. Shala'Rann stayed where she was, ordering the workers back. They found Golo in the cockpit, smashing at the controls and swearing. Beside him was a large sack of his possessions and he clutched a small vial in his hand, a drug of some sorts.

"Golo!" Seraphina cried. "Get to your feet, slowly."

Golo raised his hands, never releasing his hold on the vial, and slowly stood.

"Good," she said. "Now turn around and face us."

Golo did so, and they were all taken back what they saw - he wasn't wearing his filter mask. He took a step back, looking slightly panicked, but unconcerned about the fact he wasn't wearing his enviro-suit.

"What are you doing?" Garrus gasped. "If you expose yourself to the outside too long you'll die!"

"No, I won't," Golo insisted. "I'll be fine, Cerberus made sure of it!"

"So you _are_ the spy," Seraphina growled. "Why did you want to kill Legion?"

Golo kept his mouth shut.

"You either tell us or I'll have to break a few bones!" Wrex threatened. "Or maybe I'll break that vial."

He aimed at Golo's hand and the quarian realized if the krogan fired he wouldn't be fast enough to save the vial, he would lose his hand and the vial and then die from exposure and blood loss.

"Alright, alright," he sighed. "I'll tell you... just... leave the vial."

"Why did you plant the bomb?" Garrus demanded.

"Legion uncovered a recent... anomaly," Golo replied. "A series of codes that relayed information concerning the Migrant Fleet's movements and communications had been sold onto Cerberus through an inside source... If the fleet ever learnt I was selling secrets they would exile me, I had to be rid of it!"

"How did you manage to get a bomb past Legion?" Garrus asked. "It said you was with it throughout the whole journey."

"Several of Legion's 1,183 geth programs are infected by a Cerberus virus," Golo explained. "It confused its other programs, making it believe I had been with it the whole time."

"... Golo is correct," Legion announced. "We have just run a system check and have detected and purged our systems of the virus."

"You was willing to risk another war over what, money?" Seraphina snarled.

"Not money," Golo said. "This vial."

"Cerberus gave it to you?" Wrex asked.

Golo nodded.

"Then it's most probably poison," he said.

"No!" Golo cried. "It's the cure! The future of quarians, it'll allow us to live without our suits! Let me show you!"

"Stop!" Seraphina ordered.

Golo pulled off the cap and downed the liquid, he frowned at the strange taste and began to tremble violently. He dropped the vial and collapsed to the ground, thick sickly veins appearing along his paling flesh. Seraphina ran to him, watching as he spewed up blood.

"Get a medic!" she ordered. "Hurry!"

"Shepard," Garrus said. "It's too late..."

She turned to the quarian, who lay still. Her one talkative lead to Cerberus, dead, and all because the quarian was foolish enough to believe the words of Cerberus.

...

Tali returned to the Migrant Fleet a day later and after accepting an official apology from the admirals, she left a note for Seraphina and the team and returned to her life on board the Migrant Fleet. Seraphina meanwhile returned to her apartment and stared at her vase of Urdnot Roses.

She had time to think about Cerberus, consider all that happened in the time they had been a team, and she had come to a few conclusions:

* Cerberus was divided into numerous independent cells which have no knowledge of their counterparts, thus ensuring that should one cell be compromised, the others would not be captured. It would explain why alien such as Golo and Marfóir were part of Cerberus when they were, first and foremost, a human-survivalist organization. If any of the other human oriented units learnt of the work Golo was conducting, they would have possibly killed him because of what he was.

* Cerberus must also have wealthy sympathizers within the Alliance military-industrial complex, people who would contribute credits and resources to Cerberus. But Cerberus must also own several front corporations which further fund and support their operations in order to separate their financers from certain cells.

But there was still one thing she didn't know - who was in charge of Cerberus and was it only one person? She needed to know, she needed to find the person in charge and then that way they could destroy Cerberus. There was no guarantee that with the leader gone Cerberus would stop, but it would be enough to break the hold of power and obtain information.

She went to call Anderson to inform him of her theory, when he beat her to it.

"I have good news, Seraphina," he smiled.

"Good, so do I," she replied.

"If it concerns Cerberus I will hear of it later," Anderson said. "Right now this takes top priority."

"What is it?" she asked.

"The Council has decided to award you and your team that second star," Anderson answered. "Your work on the Migrant Fleet was enough to convince them that you and those two boys are possibly the future of battle."

"Oh... wow," she smiled. "A second star? It seems... soon."

"I know," he said. "But as I said before, you and your team are outstanding. Have you decided what you're going to do with your lovely hair?"

Seraphina glanced down at a leaflet that rested besides the vase, in bold letters were the words_ 'Donate'_, and she smiled.

"Oh, I think I know..."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing, and a special thank you to Raven Jadewolfe who had a wonderful suggestion for what Shepard should do with her hair. I always take what you say into consideration as you all have such interesting thoughts._


	11. Tenth Assignment

**WARNING:** This chapter contains scenes of a sexual nature.

* * *

**Tenth Assignment**

_The Citadel_

The giving of a second star to a Spectre was not a celebrated event; it was much different to the giving of a medal to generals or soldiers. Unlike medals, these stars in fact represented little and made very little difference in the life of a Spectre. The stars were merely a sign of recognition of their brave feats and actions, and on occasion when the status of Spectre was not enough, allowed them to bypass areas Spectres with only one star would not be able to access.

When a Spectre received a star, they met with their own Councillor or Ambassador, and were thanked for the actions and bravery and etc. Seraphina wore her Alliance uniform, navy blue with gold thread along the sleeves and helm. She passed Garrus on her way to receive her star and noticed now similar his uniform was to an Alliance one, maybe with a few alterations in the colour and the symbol of the Palaven army on his sleeve.

"Have you seen Wrex?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I don't think he's going to show up."

"Why wouldn't he?" she asked. "He's only the first second-generation krogan to receive the star; it's something he can't just pass up."

"You forget that there still isn't a Krogan Ambassador," Garrus observed. "There's no one to give him his medal and I'm sure he doesn't want to receive it off a turian or human."

"I'll sort him out, don't worry," she smiled. "Stop by my place for a drink later, we'll celebrate together."

"I'll try," he said. "But I'd really like to talk to my father first... he doesn't know about my second star."

She nodded, understanding. "Then I'll see you later," she waved goodbye and headed to Anderson's office.

As she entered the office she noticed something set up in the middle of the room, a comfortable looking barber shop chair, with a smiling human barber standing beside it. Anderson greeted her with a hug and glass of wine, taking his time in admiring the long scarlet mane that would soon be gone.

"I really do like your hair long," he said.

"So do I," she said. "But my hair can serve a much better purpose."

After her talk with Anderson in the hospital Seraphina had thought long and hard about what to do with her hair, then she spoke to one of her nurses who had recently had her hair cut. She sold her hair onto_ Locks of Love_, a charity that made wigs for sufferers of Cancer V.2.

Cancer had been cured by the time man had made his way to Mars and beyond, but when humankind begun to interbreed with other species, a disease was passed on from the asari. The asari were not at all infected by this disease they carried, but when in contact with a human host it adapted and changed, becoming a deadlier form of cancer within the human system.

It's morality rate was not as high as the original cancer, but its affects were far worse and longer laster. Those who were suffering a mild wave of the disease faced hair loss, blood clotting, organ failure, and sterility. Nicknamed Cancer V.2, it had become the new scourge of mankind and Seraphina couldn't think of a better use for her hair.

"This is a good thing you're doing, Seriph," Anderson smiled. "When I told the other human Spectre's what you were planning, a lot of them signed to donate."

"Really?" she asked.

He nodded.

He went over to the table and picked up a small box from the desk. Seraphina stood to attention. He presented her the box, opening it to reveal her new silver badge. She felt her chest swell with pride. Anderson smiled and took the badge from the box, pinning it to her breast. She looked at it, her eyes reflected back, and she wished her parents could see her.

"Seraphina Shepard, for your work in preventing a species-wide Genophage and saving the quarians from another war, I award you a second star."

She saluted, smiling ear-to-ear.

"Miss Shepard," the barber spoke up. "Are you ready now?"

Seraphina ran her fingers through her long hair, feeling the silk-like texture between her fingers. She remembered the day she made her promise, no more than a week into her days at the N7 Academy and all the boys laughed at her and the girls betted she would never keep her promise. But she had done it. After years of training and fighting, grooming her beautiful hair, and how she could finally say, _"I did that, that was me."_

"I'm ready," she said.

She sat in the chair and the barber pulled out his tool, a small laser that could be adjusted to different degrees and strengths depending on how much hair was to be removed. Laser's themselves were dangerous tools and not widely used throughout the galaxy, they had developed more into tools. He started up the little weapon, no bigger than a pen.

"How much do you want to cut off?" he asked.

"As much as possible," Seraphina replied. "Just... don't make me bald."

"Don't worry," he chuckled. "I'll be careful."

He grabbed a handful of hair and pointed his laser, Anderson looked away. Seraphina closed her eyes. The laser cut through her hair with ease, severing her promise and allowing her past to fall to the floor.

...

Garrus sat in his room, hitting the side of his terminal, a bit drunk. He thought a bit, but in fact it was harbouring more on the verge of passing out. He had messaged his father and mother, explaining his elevated status, but neither of them had replied. He then tried his brother's, but they were all busy, even his sister didn't have the time for him.

Now he had gotten through a whole bottle of turian brandy - a gift off Quentius for his recent achievement - and was determined to get through. His father needed to know, he needed to see his son and he needed to be proud. After what felt like hours - or may have been a few minutes, it was hard to tell in his state of mind - he finally got through.

"Dad!" he grinned. "Did you get my message?"

"No, Garrus," his father replied. "I was in the War Room, I was busy."

"You're always busy..." Garrus slurred. "You never had time for me, or Solana or Vara or-"

"Garrus, you're drunk," his father cut in. "What have you been drinking?"

"Quentius gave me brandy," Garrus replied, showing off the bottle. "Anyway, listen-"

"No, Garrus," his father interrupted. "You listen."

Garrus looked at him, the bottle falling from his hand. He watched it roll away, his father called his name and he instantly remembered why he had called his father.

"Garrus, stop wasting time calling me and informing me of every pointless little development and focus on your work!" his father ordered. "I don't approve of your work as a Spectre, but I'm just glad you're working there and not at C-Sec. Stop drinking and acting so stupid and go back to work."

"But Dad-"

"No buts!" he snapped. "Call me when you've got some actual news."

The line went dead. Garrus stared at the screen, he smacked his head against the table.

"But Dad..." he said mournfully. "I got a second star..."

...

Wrex sat in his apartment, wondering what he was going to do with himself. There were plenty of things he could have done that evening - he could have gotten his second star from the Asari Councillor, he could have gone down to the bar for a drink, or got into a fight with some random turian just for the hell of it. But he didn't want to do any of that.

The only thing he wanted to do involved Seraphina.

It was strange almost, it had been some time since he had ever thought of a female so fixatedly. The last one had been... _Aleena_. Now she was something special, an asari who refused to leave her Maiden stage, despite being a Matron, it was almost like she refused to grow up. She wanted to savour every taste, explore every world, shoot every kind of enemy with every kind of gun.

She wanted to do everything and anything. He had been young when he met her, she was at least four centuries older than him, but he didn't mind. An asari was an asari, they were all beautiful, and to actually say he - a _krogan_ - had the chance to meld with her was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. But this thing with Seraphina was different.

It wasn't based on a mutual agreement for casual sex, he hadn't even had the nerves to ask her such a thing, this was something else. This was something deeper, stronger, this was going to last. He just needed the nerves to talk to her about the situation, he needed to tell her how he felt.

There was a knock at the door, he didn't answer. There was another knock and this a voice called to him.

"Wrex, open the door!" Seraphina ordered.

He jumped to his feet, feeling excitement in his stomach like a flutter of warm fireflies. He so used to that strange high feeling, like a fire spreading through his limbs and lighting a part of him he never knew about. He went to answer the door, and stopped. He took a deep breath, wiping the smile off of his smile and calmly answered the door. He couldn't help but stare at her.

"Shepard," he gasped.

"Wrex," she smiled.

"What happened to your hair?" he asked.

"I... had it cut," she replied. "Why... is it bad?"

Wrex looked at her new style carefully, it was shaved short and reminded him of the type of style a male human may have had. It was far more appropriate for a soldier and it did suit her face, it highlighted her cheekbones and her beautiful red eyes were far more noticeable.

"I liked it long," he replied.

"Oh..." she said, saddened.

She presented him with a small box and placed it in his hands.

"What's this?" he frowned.

"Your second star," she answered. "I thought you'd want it..."

She turned to leave.

"Are you upset?" he asked.

"What? No!" she snapped.

"You sound upset," he said.

She looked at him, but didn't say anything.

"Come in for a drink," he said.

"No, I'm fine," she said.

"It wasn't a request."

He smiled at her.

"... Alright," she said. "But only one."

...

Garrus hadn't moved from the terminal. He had got a message back from his mother, a simple _"Congratulations"_ signed with a kiss. He hadn't heard from his brother's or sister yet, but he didn't really care anymore. He was tired of constantly trying to impress them, as if some sort of elevated status and shiny piece of metal would change the way they look at him.

He sat there, pondering his future.

His father didn't approve of his career, he made that clear. His mother seemed to care little and his siblings appeared to have the same attitude. But the only reason Garrus became a Spectre was to make his family proud, but if they thought so little of him why was he even bothering with all this work? He might as well sign back onto military service and go back to taking orders and firing at an enemy through a scope.

But even that wouldn't be enough, nothing would ever be good enough for his father, and maybe Garrus had to accept that. He loved his father and his family, but he was tired of trying to keep up with their standards and follow their example. He enjoyed being a Spectre, he liked his team, so who cares what his father thought of the whole?

And if he wanted a drink to celebrate his second star then he was going to have a drink.

...

Wrex stared at the little box as Seraphina got some glasses and poured them both a drink, she came to sit beside him and noticed the untouched box. He gulped the drink down in one go and grabbed the bottle.

"You okay?" she asked. "I know you like a drink, but..."

"I'm fine," he said. "Why'd you bring me this stupid trinket?"

"It's a symbol of our hard work, recognition of all the blood we've shed to get the job done," she replied. "It's an honour to wear this on my breast."

At the mention of breast he had a sneaky look at her chest.

"But it doesn't change anything," he said. "That Hemsworth kid is dead, my sister was a lab rat and Cerberus is still killing people. That trinket doesn't change that."

She fell silent.

He looked at her, she stared forwards and a dark shadow crossed her face, and he realized what he just said. He set the bottle down and leaned close to her, practically caressing the side of her face as he rubbed his lips against her cheek.

"Shepard..." he said. "I'm sorry, I forgot you're still torn up over the kid..."

She turned to him, he moved back a step. She touched his face and he leaned back in. He felt it again, that excitement, growing in his stomach and spreading throughout like some fire. When he looked at her, he couldn't lie, he just couldn't. Something about her just made him want to be... good. Not good like a saint, but good enough for someone like her.

She wasn't like him, her parents had been honourable people, unlike his father. He would probably ruin her too, humans weren't built to accommodate an alien of his calibre, but she when she looked at him ...

He just didn't care anymore. He didn't care what anyone thought, he didn't care about the turian or Tuchanka or Bakara or anyone. All he cared about was Seraphina, if he had his way he would take her somewhere far away from responsibility and war and just stay there forever.

"I'm not like the turian," he said. "I don't know what to say in these situations, and I don't know how to..."

"Wrex," she said quietly. "It's okay, I know what you're trying to say."

"You do?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled.

She set her glass aside and gently took his face in both hands, holding him place like no one else could. She moved in closer and kissed his each of his scars. He went still for a moment, then as she continued to kiss his face and move her hands along his crescent of horns he went into action.

His hands went to her waist, pulling her close, setting her on his lap. She kissed his neck and a growl began to rise in his throat, it started off hard, almost defensive, but as she stroked his scars and bit and kissed his leathery skin it became deeper, pleasurable.

His hands moved around to her front, reaching for the clasp on her uniform. She pulled away and he looked at her, waiting as if for permission. She smiled. He found her klatch and undid her uniform, carefully removing it from her smooth flesh. Wrex took a moment, taking it all in.

He had never seen a human female before, not like this, even when he spied on her in the ship that one time he couldn't begin to admire them. Now though her whole form was in front of him, he saw the curve of her waist and shape of her breasts. He ran his tongue over her chest, listening to her moans as he went further down to the pink centre of her breast.

She gave out a sharp cry and he figured he must be doing something right. He bit down on the fleshy nub and she cried out, louder, her body arching in towards him. He pushed his body against hers in response, trying to push her down onto the sofa. She leaned back onto her arms, not allowing herself to be pushed under.

"Krogan shouldn't go on top..." she muttered.

"What?" he frowned.

"Nothing," she smiled. "Just... some advice."

She removed his chest piece and ran her fingers over his hardened chest plates, the same deep red as his crest. She smiled, running a finger down his chest and stopping at his armour. She looked at him and he quickly tore his armour off, throwing it to the floor.

He pinned her down, arms either side of her, and suddenly she looked nervous. He kissed the side of her face, and whispered gruffly.

"I'll be careful," he promised.

She glanced down, taking in the sight of his member which had slipped out from hiding, she sized it up and took a deep breath. It was going to hurt, there was no way around it. She looked at him, and gave a shaky nod. He released all of his weight onto his arms and spread her legs.

He entered her, slowly, trying to ease her into it. She bit down on her lip and blood escaped between her teeth, tears springing to her eyes. He pushed in deeper and she cried out painfully, Wrex stopped. Seraphina pushed back against the sofa, taking a moment to adjust to the feel of the huge alien inside of her.

"We can stop if you want..." he said. "If it's too much."

"No," she shook her head. "Keep going."

He didn't argue.

He pulled out and thrusted back in, she screamed in pain. When he stopped she told him to keep going. He pushed on, listening as her cries of pain quickly changed, turned into pleasure and moans. She dug her nails into his hide and ordered him to keep going, to go faster, harder.

And he happily obeyed his commander.

...

On the table sat the wooden box, inside a trinket forged from strong metal mined from far away, a second star made especially for the krogan. An award he could take home to Tuchanka and show off, take his rightful place as the first second-generation krogan to recieve such a reward. But he ignored it. He focused on Seraphina and her body, watching it writhe and grind him, listening as she called out his name.

He had already gotten his reward.

...

_Earlier that night_

_Seraphina went to her room and went straight to the terminal, her hair had just been cut and she had taken Wrex's star from the Asari Councillor to give him, but there was something she wanted to do first. She wanted to confront Wrex, there was no way they could avoid it any more. The tension was unbearable, every time she looked at him all she could imagine was what it would be like to kiss him._

_So tonight when she went to see him, she wanted to be prepared, but to be prepared she first needed to discuss her situation with someone professional. At her terminal she contacted Mordin Solus. Before they left Knossos she had spent a few minutes with the salarian scientist while he tended to her wounds and Wrex and Garrus went to secure the perimeter._

_He noted Wrex's concern over her and his refusal to leave her side, as he said, "Much concern for human. Unlike krogan."_

_"Shepard," he said casually. "Problem?"_

_"No, I need advice," she said. "On a... medical concern."_

_"Illness?" he inquired. "Disease?"_

_"It's more of a... relationship concern," she replied._

_"Ah, the krogan," he nodded. "Understand. Concerns over mating."_

_"You can say that," she grimaced. "I mean, has it been done before? Can krogan's and humans even do it?"_

_"Quite possible," Mordin replied. "Recommend caution. Krogan/human mating can lead to casualties."_

_"Casualties?" she repeated. "What kind of casualties?"_

_"Broken pelvis, bruising, punctured lung once," Mordin replied. "Krogan should never be on top or behind."_

_"Alright, I'll remember that," she said flustered._

_"Anything else?" he asked._

_"Yeah..." she blushed. "How do I... arouse a krogan?"_

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Thanks as always for reading and reviewing, and I have a few side notes for you all - in the original ME universe Garrus only has a sister, he doesn't have brothers, but I created some as they were necessary. And I know Garrus isn't getting much love, but he is my favourite ME character and I have a whole story line planned for him! So don't worry.__  
_

_Finally, I think I've been reasonably fast with my updates, but I'm afraid I'm going to be slower with the next few chapters because I have exams next week and some art projects to finish, so I'll be preoccupied until May 19th and I promise to try to update whenever possible.  
_


	12. Eleventh Assignment

**Eleventh Assignment**

Seraphina woke late the next afternoon. There was an strange sensation running up and down her legs, sort of like pins and needles, just not as unpleasant. She tried to move, but only one half of her body obeyed. She used her arms to lift her up, but collapsed back down when she found she couldn't move her lower body.

She noticed she was lying on the bed, but she didn't actually remember being moved to the bedroom. Wrex did pick her up at one point, maybe that was when he moved things to the bedroom. She ran her hand over the bed's blanket, a standard bed, much like a human's, only much bigger and not as soft - but she was used to sleeping on worse.

She rolled over and into the form of Wrex, who had been lying there the whole time, watching her. He probably found her effort to move out of bed funny. He ran his knuckles over her eyebrow, rubbing his leathery flesh against her smooth skin. She grabbed his hand and left it against her face, a small smile came across the krogan's face.

"Good morning," she smiled.

"Afternoon, you mean," he said.

"Afternoon?" she frowned. "I've been in bed all this time?"

"You haven't moved," he replied. "Not that I'm surprised... after last night..."

"And you stayed with me the whole time?" she asked.

"You're my responsibility now," he replied. "I have to look after you."

"You make it sound like a chore," she said.

"If all chores were like this I wouldn't have complained about them so much," he remarked.

She smiled and kissed his hand.

Her legs were all bruised and covered with cuts and bites, and she was sure there was a huge love bite on her neck, but it was worth it. How many people could say they had gotten into bed with a krogan and gotten out alive? Not many she imagined, the way Mordin spoke of krogan/human relationships made her think not many people were willing to risk their health for such a thing.

Wrex ran his hand down the length of her body, enjoying the feel of her skin. He had been with other females before, krogan's mostly and one asari, but nothing compared to a human's flesh. Krogan skin was hard and leathery, asari skin was a little smoother, but it felt very much like little scales at some points. Human skin was smooth and soft, like the skin of a fruit.

"There's a... thing krogan's do once they've mated," he began cautiously. "A... mark they leave on their partners, as a sign that they are experienced with a krogan lover."

"And you want to leave this mark on me?" she guessed.

He nodded, "And it'll be a warning to any male who sees it."

"I think seeing me with you will be warning enough," she teased.

He didn't smile and she realized he was quite serious about his suggestion. This mark was symbolic of many things - what they had done, who they had done it with, but more than that it was Wrex's way of exercising dominance. He wanted everyone who saw the mark to know she was his and no one was going to say otherwise.

Who was she to deny him such a simple thing?

"Where does the mark go?" she asked.

"Your back," he replied.

She rolled over onto her stomach and he moved forwards, almost sitting on top of her but not releasing any of his weight. He wasn't so blind as to know that he had the potential to crush her, he had tried to exercise this control the previous night, though he had slipped up once or twice. He gently caressed her flesh, picking the right spot, and left an incision on her left shoulder blade.

She didn't wince.

He licked the blood away and turned her over, winding an arm around her back to push her forwards onto his lap. She put her arms around his thick neck and kissed him on the mouth, feeling his pronged krogan tongue invade her mouth and along her moist walls. She purred and he growled, grasping onto his female and refusing to let her go.

...

Garrus woke up the next morning with a hangover. A turian hangover is different to a human one, though both have their similarities - such as headaches and nausea and a generally grumpyness. But whereas a human would lie in bed and refuse to move or cooperate, a turian would drag his ass out of bed and get on with it.

He changed into his armour, prepared for any assignment that he may be faced with, and decided to spend some time at the firing range. He knew being a little hungover was going to seriously affect his game, but he just wanted to be sure he could at least hit the target. He was famous for his marksmanship and he wasn't going to let a little headache ruin his reputation.

He arrived at the firing range and found Wrex, a large grin on his face and firing several shots from a large gun. He was on form today, and seemed oddly cheerful. Even at the sight of the turian, Wrex's smile never faltered and Garrus wondered if the second star meant more than what he let on.

"Everything alright, Urdnot?" Garrus asked. "You seem... different."

"Why do you say that?" Wrex asked.

Garrus went over to the bench and picked up a rifle, going to stand at the range beside Wrex. Wrex reloaded his weapon and fired again.

"I've never seen a krogan smile like that," Garrus replied.

Wrex's finger hovered over the trigger, he gave the turian a sideways glance.

"You obviously don't spend too much time with krogans," he said simply.

...

Seraphina used Wrex's shower while he was out at the firing range and took the time to assess the damage.

A large bite on her neck, as she suspected, bruising along her inner thighs and a few scratches on her back. She expected worse. After showering in the oversized krogan shower, she used some spare med-gel to fix some of the worse wounds - such as the scratches - and checked for any more wounds. She saw none, but took a moment to admire the new cut on her shoulder blade.

She smiled at the sight of it, only now realizing the significance of the cut. It would scar over, Wrex had made it deep enough that it would naturally form into a cicatrix, which meant it was permanent. Everytime she looked in the mirror she would be reminded of that evening, she would be reminded of the fact a krogan loved her and that she - finally - had someone to go home to.

She slipped back into her armour and headed out to the Presidium Commons. She needed a cup of coffee and Apollo's Café had the best coffee. Afternoon light fell onto the Presidium Commons and it was loud with the drone of voices. Seraphina tried her best to walk properly, but the bruising was making the task difficult. At the café she ordered an extra strong dose of coffee.

Seraphina leaned lazily on the counter, trying to take some support off her legs. As the delectable drink was poured, the human serving her turned to Seraphina with what looked like hesitation in her eyes.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Well... you're a Spectre, right?" the woman asked. "Shepard...?"

"Yeah, I am," she replied.

"Oh, good," she smiled. "I was just wondering... about the rumours I heard about Matriarch Benezia."

Seraphina frowned, "What rumours?"

"You... haven't heard?" she asked.

"I've barely been in the Citadel these last few weeks," Seraphina replied. "If something's happened, I haven't heard"

"U-uh, well," the woman stammered. "Apparently, a salarian had footage of Matriarch Benezia abusing her power. You know, like sharing top-secret stuff and turning politicians bad. He managed to get word out, but died before he could show his findings which disappeared..."

"And this happened when?" Seraphina asked.

"Maybe a week ago," she replied. "I can't be sure... but the weird part is, when the salarian was found dead, the guards saw someone leave."

"Who?" Seraphina said.

"Dunno," the woman shrugged. "He had two swords and this weird yellow symbol on his arm."

"Yellow symbol?" Seraphina repeated.

The woman nodded.

The coffee machine dinged and the attendent went to retrieve the warm cup, when she turned with a smile to face she found the Spectre gone.

...

Seraphina headed to Liara's apartment, feeling her panicked steps turn into a run. She was never much for rumours, she chastised her fellow N7 students when they discussed the gossip of the day, but at the mention of the 'yellow symbol' Cerberus came to mind and there was no doubt in her mind that Cerberus would use anyone to get to their goals.

But could Benezia really be involved?

Seraphina had known Benezia as long as she knew Liara, which had to be at least seven years. Seraphina met Liara on Illum, a year before Seraphina signed onto military service and when she faced a moment of doubt. Seraphina didn't know if she could be a solider, if she was good enough, but Liara encouraged her and since then Liara had been like a rock.

She was Seraphina's support and comfort, she was there when Seraphina needed her, and now it looked as though the tables had turned. More than ever, Liara needed Seraphina.

She came to the apartment and let herself in, she still had the access code from when she lived with her friend. She called Liara's name and got no answer, not straight away. She ventured deeper into the apartment, checking the kitchen and spare room where Liara carried out her study on Prothean archaeology and then finally checked the bedroom.

The lights flickered on as Seraphina entered the room and she found Liara sat on the bed, hugging her legs to her chest. She looked as though she had been crying.

"Seraphina..." she cried. "You... heard?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Seraphina asked. "I had to find out from some girl behind the counter at Apollo's."

She went to her friend and wrapped her arms around her and hugged her.

"I only find out today," Liara answered hoarsely. "I came back from a dig... and when I heard the rumours I asked my mother what happened."

"What did she say?" Seraphina asked.

"Nothing, at first," Liara replied. "She just... looked at me, as if she didn't know what to say. Then she said,_ 'I do what I have to do'_."

"So... it's true?" Seraphina gasped. "But Matriarch Benezia would never - I mean she'd never do anything like that."

"I know!" Liara cried. "So why did she say that? What's going on, Seraphina? Who is she working with?"

_More like who is she working for,_ Seraphina thought. I_s Cerberus using her like they used Marfóir?_

Seraphina didn't want to believe it, she didn't want to believe that someone like Benezia would ever be involved in such an organization. Benezia was known and revered as a teacher of religion and philosophy; she was one of the most influential asari Seraphina had ever known. So why would she be working with Cerberus, an organization that would _love_ to wipe her kind out.

It made no sense; it was so out of character. Something wasn't right. Seraphina was going to have to see to this herself. She carefully pulled herself from the embrace and gave Liara a reassuring smile.

"Come on," she said.

Liara frowned at her, "What?"

"We're going to find your mother and sort this out."

...

They went straight to the shuttle in the docking bay and took over the controls, when they were not assigned onto a mission EDI was programmed to enter a sort of hibernation phase and the shuttle itself was programmed to not open or activate for anyone other than those in the team.

Seraphina opened the way for Liara and she activated the controls. Liara admired the ship, noting the strange lock system. It was similar to a DNA scan, once it recognized the right signature the doors opened and the piloting system activated. Seraphina wasn't much of a pilot, many dreaded being in a Mako with her, but she would have to do.

"So your mother's on Illium?" Seraphina said.

"Yes," Liara replied. "After the salarian was found dead and the rumours emerged she left for Illium to try to sort things out."

"I still can't believe anyone would ever think she would do such a thing," Seraphina sighed. "Your mother is so kind, she helped me out when I needed her... but the man with the symbol..."

"You know who that man is, don't you?" Liara asked.

"I think I know what the symbol is," Seraphina replied.

Liara brought up two images on her Omni-Tool, the symbol seen on the man's arm and an artist's interpretation of the man. He had fairly long hair and some sort of eye piece and armour-like uniform, but Seraphina didn't recognize him. She copied the image, though, it might prove useful later.

The screen beside Seraphina lit up, an image of a telephone appearing with the words **INCOMING CALL FROM ANDERSON**. Seraphina looked at it as it played a jingle, she glanced at Liara and wondered if it was right to answer a call in front of her. If it was from Anderson it could be about Cerberus and Seraphina didn't want to get Liara involved, even if Cerberus was somehow tied in with her mother Seraphina couldn't risk further involvement.

"I'll go into the little storage room," Liara said. "I won't eaves drops."

"Thanks a lot," Seraphina smiled.

Liara just nodded and dissapeared from sight, Seraphina waited for the sound of the door and then answered the call.

"Seraphina, where the hell are you?" Anderson asked. "Why did you take the shuttle?"

"I'm going to Illium," Seraphina replied.

"You're going to see Matriarch Benezia, aren't you?" Anderson said. "Listen, Shepard, I know you and she are close-"

"Someone spotted a Cerberus agent leaving the scene where the salarian was found dead," Seraphina interrupted.

Anderson fell silent.

"It just seems..." Seraphina sighed, unable to describe how she feels. "If the salarian was telling the truth then doesn't it seems weird that Cerberus would intervene and take the footage?"

"Are you saying Matriarch Benezia is working for Cerberus?" Anderson asked.

"I'm saying evidence suggests she is," Seraphina replied. "But she's innocent until proven otherwise."

"If this _is_ a Cerberus related case then you should really have taken Garrus and Wrex, not Liara," Anderson chastised.

"How did you-"

"I tapped the security feeds and saw you leave with her," Anderson replied. "Seraphina, listen, please. Turn around and leave Liara at the Citadel. You can't involve her like this."

"Benezia is her mother!" Seraphina argued. "How could I not take her along with me?"

There was a noise on Anderson's end and suddenly Wrex was on the line.

"Listen to us, Shepard!" he ordered. "You're letting your emotions get the better of you and if you go in, half-cocked, then you're going to get hurt just like you did in Knossos!"

Seraphina thought back to the lab in that dark system and the way she kept fighting, despite the crack in her skull and the blood she was losing. Wrex told her to stop and let him handle it, but she wouldn't listen and she got hurt and ended up in hospital.

But this time was different, she wasn't injured and she was thinking as straight as she ever had. She didn't want to worry her team mates or Anderson, but this was something Seraphina needed to do. She couldn't allow Cerberus to worm its way into her life and poison those she knew.

She needed to do this.

"I'm sorry, Wrex," she said. "I'll make it up to you later."

"No, Shepard wait-"

She closed the line and blocked all further calls, she called Liara back in.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, don't worry," Seraphina said. "Now buckle up, we'll be there soon."

...

_The Citadel_

Anderson swore as a computerized voice cheerfully informed him that all his calls had been blocked. He fell back in his chair and suddenly felt very old, when did Seraphina go from being the obedient child to this rebellious teenager? She had always listened to his orders and the orders of her superiors, she must feel strongly about the situation if she was willing to risk a court martial.

"What now?" Garrus asked. "We can't just let her go to Illium."

"We have no choice," Anderson said. "Seraphina is a friend of the Matriarch and trusted ally to her only daughter, she has every right to land on the planet. We, however, would have to go through Councillor Tevos to get permission to even enter its atmosphere."

"Then she's on her own," Garrus stated.

"She's a good soldier," Anderson assured them. "She's at the top of her physique and unless there's some kind of recent injury she sustained without my knowing, and then she'll be fine."

Wrex froze at the word 'injury' and thought back to the previous night, he _had_ left her med-gel to fix most of her wounds, but would it be enough to work out the kinks and bruises?

...

_Illium_

They landed on Illium without much interference, aside from a message from the Office of Transportation inquiring about their visit they were able to freely land. It helped having Liara around and the little fact Seraphina was both a Spectre and a friend of Matriarch Benezia.

Although it had been some time since she last saw the elder asari, she still remembered her as the woman who had recommended her for all those missions into space and one of the two who had suggested her for Spectre status. Anderson may have openly admitted he was the one who put her name through, but without a second comment from Benezia, Seraphina may never have become a Spectre.

Seraphina landed the shuttle outside the large and beautiful building that was the Illium's National School of Philosophy, unlike the other buildings on Illium this one was short and rounded, almost oval in shaped, with its front slanted forwards like some sort of cover and was constructed out of a lilac coloured stone.

It was founded by Matriarch Benezia centuries ago when she was helping to shape how the asari understood and thought of philosophy and everything that came with it. Since then her interests may have spread further, but this school was where she still acted as head mistress, she ran most of her operations from here. It seemed like a good place to start looking for her.

The area was quiet, with only a few asari commandos seen patrolling the premises. Seraphina was aware that Benezia had a whole army of followers and in such a time they appeared to have come to arms to protect her. As they approached the doors they were met by two more commandos, one of them raised a large firearm in Seraphina's face.

"The school is closed for the time being," she said. "Leave the area."

"We've come to see Benezia," Seraphina said. "Let us in."

"Who are you to give orders?" she snapped.

"I'm her daughter, Liara T'soni," Liara replied calmly. "And this is Seraphina Shepard, Spectre Class 2. We've come to investigate the accusations against my mother and prove them wrong."

The one guard continued to glare, the other - a strange green skinned asari - barked an order at her. She frowned at her companion, but after a sharp glare from the green asari she stood down and removed the gun from Seraphina's face.

"I'll take you to Matriarch Benezia," the green asari said. "You understand why I can't let you go up alone."

"Of course," Seraphina said. "I would be worried if Benezia so easily let people in."

The green-skinned asari led them past the doors into the large forum, which was white and seemed to be made of some marble-like material. There was a large fountain in the centre of the room, a carving of Athame stood in the centre of the fountain, her back arched and facing upwards to the sky, with her robes flowing like wings behind her. There were two set of stairs curving around the fountain to meet up at the second floor.

She led them up the stairs and they entered a long corridor with several doors, they passed each of the classes and came across Matriarch's Benezia office which was again guarded. The two on the door moved aside for the green asari and they entered the dark office.

It was large and plain, with only a single desk and some potted plants. The window was covered by a curtain and lining up against the walls were more commandos, Benezia really wasn't taking any chances nowadays. Matriarch Benezia herself stood in the centre of the room, walking back and forth in a way that seemed to be worrying her commando's.

"Matriarch Benezia," the green asari addressed her as if she was general. "Your daughter and Seraphina Shepard are here to help."

Benezia turned to them and immediately ordered everyone out of the room, except for Liara and Shepard.

"Shiala, you stay," she ordered the green asari.

The other asari left, some frowning at the sudden request and one or two looking a little worried. Benezia embraced Liara quickly, she smiled at Seraphina.

"You shouldn't have come," she said. "I can handle this."

"Mother, things are getting worse," Liara protested. "Everyone on the Citadel thinks your guilty."

"Not everyone," Benezia replied. "Councillor Tevos believes I am innocent."

"One asari mounts to nothing in comparison to the thousands who think you're guilty," Seraphina protested. "Please, Benezia, tell us what happened."

"I don't know what happened," Benezia replied. "I heard a salarian had some footage that supposedly was damaging to my career, then I hear he's dead and that I'm to blame."

"You're not to blame," Seraphina replied. "This man is."

She brought up the image of the Cerberus agent seen at the crime scene. Benezia studied the image carefully, but judging by her expression she didn't know who the man was.

"Have you ever seen this man, Shiala?" Benezia asked.

"I may have," Shiala replied. "He bears a striking resemblance to Kai Leng."

"Kai Leng?" Seraphina repeated.

"He was a lieutenant and N7 marine in the Systems Alliance," Shiala replied. "But he was dishonourably discharged and imprisoned for twenty years."

"Well, he got out somehow," Seraphina commented.

"Why would this man kill the salarian?" Shiala asked.

"I think..." Seraphina sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way, Benezia, but I believe that you are somehow connected with Kai Leng."

"Seraphina!" Liara gasped. "You're here to help my mother, not-"

"I'm sorry, Liara," Seraphina interrupted. "But I just can't believe Kai Leng would intervene for no good reason! Even if your mother doesn't know him, your mother must be connected to his organization somehow."

Liara glared at her. She turned to her mother, a pleading look in her eye. She wanted her mother to say something, to tell Seraphina she was wrong and that she had no idea what she was talking about. But Benezia just stood there, she said nothing. She walked away from them and went to her desk, she sat down and for another long minute said nothing.

"Mother..." Liara's voice wavered. "Tell me the truth, you're not involved with in this, are you?"

Benezia looked up at her daughter, her eyes hard, and said, "I do what I have to do."

The commando's burst into the room, aiming their weapons and ordering Seraphina and Liara to put their hands up. Seraphina did as she was instructed, a hard frown cutting across her face. Liara turned to her mother, pain in her eyes. Benezia just stared at her, offering no help or sympathy.

"Take them down to the holding cells," Benezia ordered.

"Mother!" Liara cried. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

Benezia looked at her oddly, as if she was confused by the question. She didn't answer, or rather it appeared as though she didn't know the answer. Seraphina's frown hardened. Shiala took command over her commando's and Seraphina and Liara were led from the room and down into the holding cells.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Wow, this was** really** late! Sorry for all those who expected it sooner, but this chapter was a real bitch to write. I re-wrote a lot of the paragraphs twice and even how Seraphina discovers the rumours was in dire need of editing. So did I do okay? Was it worth the wait?_


	13. Twelfth Assignment

**Twelfth Assignment**

Liara was quiet.

She hadn't said a word since being placed in the holding cells; she was still trying to figure out what had happened. Did her mother really just throw her into a cell? She refused to believe it. She wanted to close her eyes and when she opened them she would be back on the Citadel and none of this would have happened.

Seraphina watched her friend carefully as she sat in the corner, a despair so strong it looked as though her whole world had just crumbled around her. Liara wasn't going to be much help at the moment. Seraphina was going to have to handle the situation by herself.

The cells appeared to have been constructed quickly and cheaply, they were plain old metal bars covering large holes in the wall. It was like Benezia had predicted she was going to face opposition, but why would she go to such lengths?

First the commando's, now the cells, what the hell was going on?

Seraphina counted the guards, two by the cell, four patrolling and two more by the exit. It didn't help that she had no weapon or the fact each heavily armed guard was a biotic, Seraphina was a biotic too - she was a Sentinel, in fact - but these asari were centuries old and knew their powers better than any biotic.

She had a slim chance of beating them, maybe if she had a weapon she had a better chance, but as of the moment Seraphina was in trouble.

The two guards by her cell suddenly stood to attention and the green-skinned Shiala was stood outside their cell. She gave Seraphina a hard glare and ordered the two guards to take a five minute break. They left without question, judging by Shiala's glare they sensed a fight.

"How long have you known Matriarch Benezia?" Shiala asked.

"Several years," Seraphina replied. "You've probably known her much longer."

Shiala said nothing, merely nodded.

"Tell me," Seraphina continued. "Is Benezia's behaviour normal? Is this how she normally acts?"

"...No," Shiala replied.

"Then you must agree with me that something is seriously wrong," Seraphina said. "Something's happened to Benezia, it's like she's been brainwashed! She couldn't even tell us why she's doing all this! When did her behaviour change?"

"A few months back," Shiala answered. "Matriarch Benezia left Illium to meet with an associate, she was gone for two weeks, when she returned her behaviour was... _different_. Similar to how it is now."

"Do you have any idea who this associate is?" Seraphina asked.

"No," Shiala said. "She went on her own; no one knew who she was meeting. However, I did look into her files and found this symbol."

She brought up an image on her Omni-Tool and Seraphina felt her blood run cold - Cerberus. She was right, Benezia is working for Cerberus. It was what she feared. Cerberus had invaded every possible element of her life; it was changing those she knew into pawns and tools to be exploited.

But how had they gotten hold of Benezia? For her behaviour to change so suddenly and for her to have no knowledge of why exactly she was even doing all these terrible things just created more unanswered questions, it was almost like she _had_ been brainwashed.

"Shiala, answer me one more thing," Seraphina said. "Do you agree with what Benezia is doing, corrupting the government and killing those who know?"

Shiala looked around her quickly, at the other guards, and Seraphina already knew her answer. Shiala had been worried about her leader ever since the change, but she didn't question her. She had too much faith in Benezia to believe she had become something evil.

"We have to fix what's happened," Seraphina said. "But that can only happen if you let us go. Shiala, _please_, we have to help her."

Liara looked up, her eyes blurry from the tears. Was Seraphina really going to help her mother? She had come to Illium expecting Seraphina to fix everything, yet it had just gotten worse. Her mother was everything she had been accused of, how could she repair her mother's reputation?

"In an hour most of the guards are leaving to prepare for Matriarch Benezia's departure from Illium," Shiala announced. "I don't know where she's going or why, but while the guards are away she will be defenceless and I'll release you from your cell."

She left without saying another word.

The guards returned to their post and Seraphina sat beside Liara, planning her escape and tried to figure out what exactly she was going to do with Benezia.

...

An hour passed in a tense silence - in her mind Seraphina planned what she needed to do, Liara continued to sit in silence. Seraphina knew as soon as she was out she needed a weapon; she needed to take out the guards before they could alert the ones on the next floor.

She would have to be careful, though. These were asari who had been in more battles than Seraphina ever would be, they were experienced, but even the most experienced of warriors made mistakes. And theirs would be trusting Shiala.

Slowly, the number of guards began to dwindle and Shiala returned. The two guards on the door frowned in confusion.

"Back again, Shiala?" one inquired.

"Matriarch Benezia wishes to see the two prisoners," Shiala answered.

"What? Why?" they asked.

"Are you questioning her orders?" Shiala growled.

"N-no!" they stammered. "It's just... I thought she'd rather not see them at such a crucial point in the plan."

"You're not even aware of our Matriarch's plan," Shiala remarked. "How would you know when a crucial point arouses?"

"You're right," they apologized. "Please, don't let us stop you."

They took a few steps forwards, giving her some room. Shiala took the key and opened the cell door; she glanced back at the two guards and grabbed them by the back of the head, slamming their heads together. They crumbled to the ground and she took their guns, offering them to Seraphina and Liara.

Seraphina gladly took the weapon, Liara barely stirred. Seraphina looked at her friend guiltily, she knew how dangerous the situation was and she honestly couldn't think of any other outcome - Benezia was going to jail, disgraced and not even half the woman she once was. There had to be a way to restore her diginity.

And Liara wanted to have nothing to do with it. Seraphina could do what needed to be done, but Liara didn't want to be there.

"Liara," she started. "I'm... sorry."

"I know," Liara croaked. "Just... be quick about it."

She nodded once and left the spare gun at Liara's feet. Even if Liara didn't want to fight, she could at least use a little extra protection. She followed the asari commando to the entrance of the stairs, where only one guard now stood.

Seraphina didn't want to kill these women, they had done nothing wrong. They were just following the orders of their leader who had strayed. She aimed for the shoulder and fired, the asari cried as the wound exploded and she collapsed to the floor. They rushed past her and up the stairs, coming to another guard at the top of the staircase.

Seraphina released her biotic powers, knocking the commando back and into the wall. Shiala took point, firing several shots at three guards near the end of the corridor. She struck all three of them in the legs and they collapsed.

"Where's Benezia?" Seraphina asked. "Is she still in her office?"

"Yes," Shiala replied.

They came across more guards as they neared the office, Seraphina dived behind cover and threw another blast of her biotic energy, knocking one asari back and firing at another. Shiala cleared a path for her, Seraphina charged forwards, throwing up a barrier to block the bullets that came at her from the side.

She shot the guards on the door and burst into the office, locking the door behind her. She turned in search of Benezia and was suddenly overcome by a powerful biotic field. She struggled against the eerie blue aura, but was frozen in place.

"An admirable effort," Benezia rose from her seat and glided towards the frozen Spectre, removing the gun from her hand and examining it. "But you should have known better to rush me. Did you think you could take me by surprise?"

Seraphina managed to glare at the Matriarch.

Benezia removed the stasis field and Seraphina collapsed to the floor, going weak-kneed.

"I... thought," Seraphina began, "I thought I could at least try."

"You think you possess the ability to kill me?" Benezia asked.

"I'd rather not kill you," Seraphina admitted. "I wanted to talk to you, see if I could figure out what went wrong."

Benezia turned away from her and walked over to her desk; she stopped and looked down at a collection of data pads. Seraphina warily got to her feet, carefully watching the gun in the Matriarch's hand. Benezia turned back to face her.

"You want to know what happened, don't you?" she asked.

"Shiala told me that you changed some months back," Seraphina said. "You've been like this for so long and none of us knew. Now tell me why you're working with Cerberus!"

"I can't control my actions," Benezia explained. "I've known of Cerberus for a very long time. I first learned of them a few years after they were established, but no matter what I did no one would listen to my warnings. I tried to get in contact with them, I hoped by speaking to them I could try to change their minds, make them see sense."

"And a few months ago you actually got in contact with them," Seraphina said.

"No," Benezia said. "They contacted me."

"What?" Seraphina gasped. "Why would they...?"

"They sent someone to meet me and then..." Benezia shrugged. "My memory is poor. I can't remember who I met or where, what happened that day. Even now there are holes in my memory. I sometimes lose days or hours and am only partially aware of what I've done."

Seraphina frowned, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because, Seraphina," Benezia began. "I'm tired."

The Spectre's frown deepened and she felt just a little bit confused.

"These past few months I've done terrible things, the things I have been accused of," Benezia continued. "And I don't even know why. An innocent salarian is dead because of me and our government has become a plaything for Cerberus to work their deeds through me. I don't want to do it anymore."

Benezia picked up a datapad and extended her arms towards Seraphina, offering the gun and pad. She took a deep breath, glancing down at the things in her hands.

"Seraphina, I want you to kill me."

...

Shiala stared down at all the commando's on the floor, behind her came the sound of steps and she trained her gun on the asari who appeared at the end of the corridor. Liara raised her hands in defence, Shiala lowered her gun.

"Where is the gun Shepard gave you?" Shiala asked.

"I left it down in the cell," Liara answered. "Where is Seraphina?"

"She's speaking with your mother," Shiala replied. "I sensed some biotic disruption earlier, but now things appeared to have calmed down. I think, perhaps, the situation has been disengaged."

A loud shot rang out.

Liara's blood chilled at the noise. Shiala ran to the door and forced the lock open, the door slowly opened and they were hit with the stench of fresh death. Shiala's gun slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground. Seraphina had actually done it, done what none of them dared think about.

And Liara just couldn't face it. She wanted to run inside and see her mother; she wanted to mourn her loss as any child should. But she just couldn't move. She couldn't get her legs to take the simple steps forwards into the office.

There were heavy steps and Seraphina emerged from the dark room, her face hard and a small trace of blood on her one cheek. Liara looked at her, at the gun with the steaming barrel and the data pad she clutched tightly in the other hand. Her legs buckled and she fell, feeling hot tears in her eyes.

"As far as the Council and everyone else are concerned Benezia was killed by Kai Leng," Seraphina announced. "They used her as a scapegoat, what better way to cause confusion and rumours than by having someone as powerful as her accused of such a thing? But when she ran out of use they exterminated her, trying to pass it off as a dissapearance, but she was found by Shiala. Anyone who knows the truth won't say anything, not when doing so would instantly cause suspicion on their person."

Shiala looked at Seraphina wordlessly, understanding the plan, then ran into the office. Seraphina took careful steps towards her friend.

"Your mother told me to give you this," Seraphina handed her friend the data pad. "I don't know what's written, but the password to unlock it is _'Little Wing'_."

Liara felt something in her chest, a little flicker of warmth, something like reassurance. Seraphina left her friend alone to read the message, and when her friend eventually emerged some time later, her face still wet from tears, Seraphina didn't ask what was written.

She didn't need to know what Benezia had said, in fact, she didn't deserve to know. She had just killed her best friend's mother.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

**Another late, and rather short, chapter. I do apologize, but I had a slight case of writer's block. Thankfully I finally managed to get my ME2 Cerberus Pack to work and after a few hours of gaming I suddenly knew how to finish this. **

**Also, I'm working on a short fanfic about Grunt - mostly about his first few weeks on the Normandy and how he adjusted to his new life and a potential motherly bond in Shepard - but I have no idea what to name it.**

**Any suggestions?**


	14. Thirteenth Assignment

**Thirteenth Assignment**

_Illium, A Month Later_

Descending into the darkness, the Justicar readied her weapon and prepared to face the horror that awaited her. She came down to a large door, half opened. The power had been cut not too long ago, and it was a stroke of luck to see the door had failed to close. If it had been locked, she doubted she would have been able to catch up with the killer.

She squeezed through the crack and entered a large bedroom, beautifully furbished with a state of the art entertainment system and a large plush bed. The floor was covered in scented candles and she sensed at one time the sound system must have been playing some over obnoxious romance music.

She approached the bed and found two bodies, two deceased krogan males. She frowned. _Two?_ How had the killer managed to get two krogan at once? Krogan weren't big on sharing and as soon as they realized what the killer was one of them should have been able to make an escape, yet here they both were.

Something was wrong.

The killer was showing off, if it had been two salarians or humans than she may not have pondered on it for too long, but two krogan? The killer wanted to show off her work, show the Justicar what she was now capable of and that she was prepared to keep running.

The Justicar went over to the window, noticing it was open. She stuck her head out into the cool Illium air, glancing either side, making sure the killer wasn't waiting on the ledge. She looked down and saw the killer, standing in the busy street, and smiling up at the Justicar.

She turned and dissapeared into the crowd.

The Justicar watched the crowd, seeing if she could make out the killer, but it was impossible from such a height and by the time she left the building the killer would be long gone. She hated to admit it, but perhaps she needed help in catching the Ardat-Yakshi.

She turned to leave and spotted something beneath the bed; she crouched and pulled out a strange object, an empty syringe with just the smallest traces of a vibrant green energy inside and a yellow symbol on the side. She examined it in the light and instantly recognized the symbol - _Cerberus_.

...

_The Citadel_

Seraphina and Liara still weren't talking.

Understandably, considering the circumstances. In fact, Liara was still on Illium sorting out her mother's affairs. Shepard's lie may have held - everyone now believed Benezia had simply been a distraction for the real perpetrator - but there was still the matter of her credits and Illium's National School of Philosophy to see too.

Seraphina had given her friend the space she needed; she didn't want to intervene so soon. When her parents died Seraphina didn't talk to anyone for two months, even after that she was snarky, if not for Anderson she wondered how she would have coped.

In the Purgatory Bar, Seraphina, Wrex and Garrus were enjoying a drink. Cutting Benezia's ties with Cerberus had resulted in a purging of the government, corrupt politicians were discovered and outted and replaced and things were now running smoothly.

And now a month later none of the Spectre's had anything to do and agreed to go out for a drink, Garrus' first one since his drunken call to his father some time ago, and Wrex and Seraphina's first time out with another person.

They had frequently enjoyed going out together, but it was rarely out in the open. They knew how people would have viewed the relationship, some would have seen it a waste the _'First Born'_ krogan was dating a human, a species he couldn't breed with, and racism was still surprisingly strong among humankind.

Wrex went to fetch another round of drinks and Seraphina shifted closer to Garrus, now noticing how he admired the female dancer's beneath the pulsating lights. In the shift of colours she couldn't quite figure out what colour his casual uniform was, but it was smooth and soft, with interwoven patterns along the sleeves.

Seraphina had chosen to wear her black dress, cut off around the shoulders with a sort of small jacket to wear over the top. She had owned it for some time, but never actually had an opportunity to wear it until now. Casual for Wrex meant his least dented armour.

"You want to dance?" she asked him.

"No," he laughed. "I'm not a dancer."

"Neither are many of the women down there," Seraphina remarked. "But they're trying at least."

"I hardly noticed the women," Garrus smirked.

"Oh, of course," Seraphina chuckled. "You must have been so focused on the music you hardly noticed how many of them are eye-fucking you right now."

"Eye-_what_?" he snorted. "You know, you get a very dirty mouth when you drink."

"Ah, you should see me when I'm alone with..." she stopped herself and picked up her empty glass, sucking at the straw.

"Alone with who?" he prodded.

"No one," she quickly answered. "It doesn't matter."

"Now that you mention it, I _did_ hear some interesting rumours about a certain Spectre who gets a nightly visitor," Garrus teased. "No one knows who it is, they never see the guy come or go, but he stays for a long time and makes a lot of noise."

Seraphina felt her face flush.

She put down the glass and kept the straw beneath her teeth, "Drop it, Garrus!" she barked.

She turned away from him, her eyes automatically landing on Wrex. He and a salarian appeared to have gotten into a heated discussion and the turian behind the bar seemed uncertain about what to do. Seraphina smiled. Garrus gasped.

"Spirits! You mean its Wrex?" he gasped.

"What?" she turned on him. "Why do you say that?"

"I've never seen you smile like that before," Garrus observed. "I noticed his sudden concern for you when you were injured on Knossos, but I never thought..."

Garrus fell back into the seat, "You are a brave woman," he said.

She laughed and punched his arm.

Wrex returned with the drinks and a smug smile.

"The drinks for the rest of the night are free," he announced.

"Free?" Garrus repeated. "Why?"

"Bar tender doesn't want any problems," Wrex replied.

Seraphina looked back at the bar and found the salarian unconscious on the floor, a crowd gathering around him. She rolled her eyes at Wrex, but couldn't be mad at him - he was her krogan, she was used to his extreme behaviour.

...

Early the next morning Seraphina received a call. She woke before Wrex and made some coffee; thankfully she hadn't drunk too much and was rather clear-headed, she did hate it when she woke with a hangover. In her room the krogan snored, awake she now realized how much it sounded like a chainsaw.

She poured her coffee and returned to the bedroom. She sat on the bed and brought up her private terminal, checking her messages and finding a new one marked from _'UNKNOWN SENDER'._ Wrex mumbled something and turned over, her intercom buzzed.

On screen read_ 'UNKNOWN CALLER'_. She quickly traced the call, finding it originated from Illium. Seraphina's heart leapt into her mouth. _Illium?_ Was Liara calling her? She quickly accepted the call, but was surprised to find the asari on screen was not Liara.

The asari wore some sort of red uniform with a matching red crest on her head, and had a very strict expression that reminded Seraphina of her old N7 tutors. Seraphina straightened her gown and brushed her hair back, trying to look a little bit more presentable.

"Did I wake you?" the asari asked.

"No, it's fine," Seraphina assured. "I've been awake for a while... uh... may I ask who you are and how you got this number?"

"My name is Samara and I am an Asari Justicar," she introduced. "Your contact details were given to me by Liara T'soni."

"Liara?" Seraphina asked. "Is she okay?"

"Yes," Samara assured her. "She said she is fine and will be home soon, when she returns you and she are to have words."

Seraphina nodded, "So why did she give you my contact details?" she asked.

"I..." she sighed and seemed somewhat ashamed to answer. "I am having difficulty in catching a murderer, she has taken many lives and now things have taken a terrible turn. She got her hands on a Cerberus weapon."

"How'd she get that?" Seraphina asked.

"I do not know - _yet_," Samara replied. "But I have a small trace of the toxin in my possession, if you and your team would come to Illium you can examine it in exchange for your help in catching this killer."

"Samara, I would help you catch this killer for free," Seraphina smiled. "Where Cerberus is involved, I don't need to be asked twice."

There may have been a hint of a smile on Samara's face as her face dissapeared off the screen. Seraphina took a big gulp of her coffee and typed in Anderson's number.

"So we're off to Illium?"

She jumped and turned to Wrex, he lay on his side with his head in one hand and sly smile. How long had been listening? He was surprisingly good at being inconspicuous when he wanted to be.

"You scared me," she gasped. "I thought you were still sleeping."

He sat up, moving over to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. He took a sniff of coffee and pulled a face.

"Smells horrible," he complained.

She just smirked.

"I'm phoning Anderson," she informed him. "You sure you want to be in on the vid?"

"You sound almost ashamed of me," he teased.

"You know I'm not," she kissed him. "I just don't know how people would react to us, that's all."

"'Suppose it's time we find out, isn't it?" he smiled.

Anderson's face appeared on vid, he looked twice at the sight of Wrex and smiled sadly.

"I guess I owe Quentius fifty credits," he said.

"What?" she frowned.

"Well... we heard the rumours about your late night visitor," Anderson admitted. "And we, err, betted on who it would be."

Wrex laughed, "The turian has sense!" he sounded surprised.

"What exactly did you call me for?" Anderson asked, quickly changing the topic.

"I just got a call from Illium," Seraphina answered. "A murderer there got her hands on a Cerberus weapon, a toxin maybe. A Justicar wants us to help her catch the culprit in exchange for the toxin."

"A toxin?" Anderson hummed. "Any ideas what it does?"

"Not yet," she replied. "But I was thinking we could maybe take Mordin with us to Illium, he may be able to figure out what the toxin does and maybe counteract its affects."

"Do you trust the salarian?" Wrex asked.

"I'm not sure how much Mordin knows about Cerberus, but I'm sure it's more than he's letting on," Seraphina answered. "Besides, I trust him."

"Then I'll inform Garrus and Mordin and have EDI prepare the shuttle," Anderson said. "I'll leave you two to do... whatever."

He closed the vid comm and Seraphina finished her coffee. She jumped out of bed and headed to the shower, Wrex watched her as she stopped by the door.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

He nodded quickly and jumped out of bed, she laughed and ran into the bathroom, quickly followed by her krogan lover.

...

EDI cheerfully played some traditional asari music as the shuttle headed into asari space, Mordin moved his head in-tune with the music. He didn't need much convincing to tag along, at the mention of 'dangerous toxin' he started to pack his tools.

As they landed at the hub of Nos Astra, they found Samara awaiting their arrival. She said nothing as they left the shuttle, merely indicated for them to follow her out of the hub station and into her base of operations, a fairly decent-sized apartment near a large building complex.

Inside she had set up a small make-shift laboratory and some spare beds, she seemed very prepared and certain that catching the killer wouldn't be done within a day. She went over to the lab and picked up a sealed container, she handed it to Mordin.

He went straight over to the lab and opened the container, removing the syringe and began to get to work.

"He is very eager," Samara observed.

"Yes," Seraphina smiled. "Now, what can you tell us about this murderer?"

"Her name is Morinth," Samara answered. "She is an Ardat-Yakshi."

"Ardat-_what?_" Wrex asked.

"Ardat-_Yakshi_," Garrus corrected. "They suffer from a rare genetic disorder which causes them to kill their mates while joining minds with them."

"Correct," Samara said. "The problem is each time she kills she becomes smarter, more powerful, and deadlier after each coupling. For 400 years I have chased Morinth across asari space, as Morinth became more and more addicted to the high she got from killing her mates she became deadlier. Now, though, her killings have doubled somehow and I think it is because of the drug."

"Drug possess' some sort nanite," Mordin informed them. "Enters body and increases production of pheromones."

"How would that increase her body count?" Seraphina asked.

"Most sapient life is affected by pheromones," Mordin explained. "Humans, turian, batarians, krogan, even elcor and salarian - though for us it is more important in reproduction than sex. Likely pheromone reproduction has caused Morinth to develop an ability to _'control'_ her victims, would explain why so many."

"So how the hell do we stop her from controlling us?" Seraphina said.

"Not sure," Mordin replied. "Need to conduct more research."

"But will we be safe facing her?" Seraphina asked. "I don't want Garrus and Wrex turning on us."

"Likely you will be affected too," Mordin said. "The only one who is safe is Samara, due to blood relation."

Seraphina sighed.

She hadn't really thought she would be safe from Morinth, but she was hoping there would be at least a slim chance of avoiding entrapment. It didn't matter, the situation hadn't been that greatly affected. If Morinth was as dangerous as Samara claimed then they had no time to waste standing around and talking, they needed to find her and contain her.

...

That night they headed into Nos Astra's club district. The last several killings had occurred in this area and now Samara may have actually found Morinth's hunting ground. The club was loud and obnoxious, there was no other word to describe the music or the type of people it attracted.

Inside the ceiling was domed and covered in hundreds of pulsing lights that changed colour every several seconds, with huge speakers set up around the bar and stage and tables. Several cages suspended from the ceiling with asari dancing inside. The drinks were terrible and overpriced, and the bartender had a nasty attitude.

It was much different to Purgatory.

Samara waited at the back entrance, hidden in the shadows, and Garrus watched over her as he nested on a roof opposite the back entrance of the club. Wrex watched over the front of the club, comfortable in the dark alleyway. Seraphina managed to get in the club employed as a bouncer.

Wrex would have been more suited, but he apparently wasn't what they looked for in bouncers. To use their words, _"Our bouncer's must be both attractive and strong."_ Wrex replied by knocking out the employer, so he lost the job either way.

Each of them had seen an image of Morinth, so they knew what they were looking for, they just had to wait for her to make an appearance. They needed to get to her before she could lead away another victim.

"You okay out there, Wrex?" Seraphina asked.

"Fine," he grumbled. "This comm is annoying, though, it won't stay on my head."

"You just need to wear it for a little while longer," Garrus interjected. "Any sign of Morinth yet, Shepard?" he asked her.

"None," she answered. "But I'm seeing a lot of asari, and from where I'm standing they all sort of look the same."

"Funny, I heard a turian say that about your kind before," Garrus smirked.

Seraphina stood in one of the private booths that looked down upon the club, but the high vantage point was proving a little pointless with the distraction of the flashing lights and the mass of asari that _were_ starting to look the same to Seraphina. The only real way to tell an asari apart, besides skin colour, was the face.

But she was having difficulty making out the different faces with the bright lights and loud music. It was like Morinth purposely picked a hunting ground that would be difficult to track her in. It shouldn't have really surprised Seraphina, Morinth was a skilled killer and had been evading Samara for centuries.

It was expected that Morinth would have picked up certain tricks.

In the shadows behind her something moved, she stayed still, her only movement was the tightening of her hold around her gun. The figure came closer. Seraphina spun on her heels, whipping out her gun, and aimed at the startled asari.

She raised her hands defensively. Seraphina studied her face closely, and saw it wasn't Morinth. She lowered her gun, but didn't remove her finger from the trigger.

"You shouldn't be sneaking up on people," Seraphina remarked.

"S-sorry," she said. "I... I booked this booth, so..."

"I was told no one had booked it this evening," Seraphina frowned.

"No, I did," the asari insisted and pulled out a small data pad. "See? My receipt, I have this booth for the whole night."

Seraphina took the small device and studied it carefully, looking for any signs of forgery. It was legit, which meant someone within the club's employment had lied to her. But why? Why give Seraphina one of the best vantage points?

From up here Seraphina could see everyone... and everyone could see _her_. They wanted Seraphina within sight so they could keep an eye on her while she went for her next victim. Morinth had played them. She knew who Seraphina was and wanted her where she could see her.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Seraphina smiled and handed the pad back over. "Enjoy your evening."

She quickly turned and left, rushing down the narrow corridor back to the club floor.

"Garrus, Wrex, come in," she called. "We have a situation."

"What's wrong?" Wrex asked. "What's happened?"

"Garrus?" she called. "Garrus, come in!"

"Seraph, what happened?" Wrex repeated.

"She's messing with us," Seraphina answered. "She knew we were coming! She set-"

A hand suddenly clamped around her mouth and she felt her arms being twisted around and pinned behind her back. She struggled and tried to call to Wrex, but she couldn't move. There was a biotic grip on her arms, she was caught.

"You're much cuter up close," purred a voice in her ear. "With that hair cut I thought you was a boy."

Seraphina scowled and tried to twist her neck, tried to get a look at her assailant, but couldn't quite turn her head far enough. The grip on her arms tightened, she hissed in pain. Seraphina quickly looked for a distraction or even someone in the club, someone to defuse the situation.

But there was no one, the stairs from the booth opened up onto a wall that hid them from sight. Morinth had timed everything right. Seraphina was thrown against the wall and there was hands around her throat, constricting tightly, cutting off her air.

She gasped in pain. Morinth smiled.

"Now... what should I do with you?"

...

Wrex began to panic, but he couldn't let it show. He had to stay calm, stay where he was and wait for Shepard's orders. It was easier to think of her as Shepard. As Shepard she was his commander and leader, he obeyed her because she was in charge, but as Seraphina she was his human.

She was the only human he had ever cared about and one of the few females he had ever been intimate with, thinking of her as just Seraphina made him panic because Seraphina was in the same club as the murderer and he hadn't heard back from her.

He tried to contact Garrus, but got only static. Desperate, he tried to contact Samara. She said to only open communication if it was an emergency or if Morinth had been spotted. This just happened to count as both.

He tapped into her comm and waited for a response, but he received silence. Had Morinth been taken everyone out so quickly? It was impossible, no one could have moved so quickly, especially if Morinth's preferred method of killing was melding.

So did that mean she was -

"_There you are_."

Wrex froze as the alley got just a little bit colder, his hand went to his gun and he slowly turned to face the asari. She looked much like Samara, in fact they were almost perfect doubles. _Almost_. There was something unsettling about her eyes, the way she looked at Wrex, like a varren observing it's prey.

"What did you do with Shepard?" he growled.

"Shepard?" she repeated. "Oh, the human girl. She's fine, I haven't killed her yet."

Wrex snarled and fired, she dived behind cover. Wrex reloaded and she charged forwards, he swung for her head and she snapped her head back to avoid the blow. She stepped closer, avoiding another swing, and was face-to-face with the enraged krogan.

Morinth smiled seductively and opened her mouth, and breathed her toxic mind-controlling pheromones over her newest slave.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_A new chapter just days after the previous one, I feel as though I maybe back on track! However Chapter 14 maybe a little later as it's been brought to my attention I'm neglecting some of my other stories, so I'm going to need to divide my time between this and two other stories - though this happens to be my priority ;)_


	15. Fourteenth Assignment

**Fourteenth Assignment**

Morinth looked down at the krogan as he breathed in the vibrant green cloud that expelled from her lips, the glittering fog filled with nanites and malice. The nanites wormed their way into his brain and attacked his senses. He blinked rapidly, feeling the nanites inside of him like something crawling beneath his flesh.

She stepped back, knowing how violent her last krogan victims reacted to the Cerberus nanites. But Wrex didn't lash out like the last krogans; he stayed perfectly still, starring at Morinth, and said: "Your breath stinks."

She gasped, "H-how dare you-!"

"What the hell kind of attack was that?" he asked.

"Impossible," she gritted her teeth. "You should be my slave, you should be praising me and bowing at my feet and-"

A shot rang out and the wall next to Morinth's head exploded, she covered her face, feeling the debris cut and tore up her arms. She swore and looked up, more bullets came raining down. Morinth darted to the end of the alley and jumped, pushing herself up and over the wall with a biotic blast and dissapeared.

Wrex went to give chase, Samara jumped down from the roof and landed in front of him.

"Let her go," she ordered.

"But-"

"She's injured and has your friends under her control," Samara interjected calmly. "It would be wise not to push her."

Wrex noticed a pool of blood beneath Samara's feet and now saw her injured right shoulder. She was right, Morinth was going know Samara was injured, and with Seraphina and Garrus under her control it would be wise not to do anything drastic.

Samara turned to Wrex, suddenly seeming to realize something. "Why are you not affected by the nanites?"

He shrugged.

She frowned suspiciously, "We should return to your salarian friend," she said. "He may know why you are unaffected."

"But what about Vakarian and Shepard?" Wrex asked. "Morinth will kill them."

"It's very unlikely she'll kill them just yet," Samara replied. "Now that she knows we are after her, she will most probably keep them as guards or hostages."

"Then we don't have much time," Wrex said.

They quickly left the alley and returned to Samara's temporary base, Mordin jumped to his feet at the sight of Samara's injured arm and snatched up some Medi-gel. He treated her wound, carefully watching the frustrated krogan in the corner of his eye.

"Shepard and Vakarian were taken?" he assumed.

Samara nodded.

"Did she get near Wrex?" he asked.

"Yeah," Wrex said. "But I'm not affected by the nanites."

"I thought as much," Mordin checked her wound over and then turned his full attention to Wrex. "Occurred to me just as you left, but the presence of the Genophage and then its cure within your system may render you immune to its effects."

"That will work well to our advantage," Samara observed. "Now we need only to find Morinth."

"No problem," Mordin smiled. "Tracking device in both Shepard and Vakarian's armour, even in yours, Wrex."

"There is?" Wrex said.

"Standard procedure for a Spectre," Mordin informed him. "I also suggest being very prepared; if Morinth is using our comrades then it will not be easy getting in."

"He's right," Wrex agreed. "She'll set Vakarian up on the roof; he'll get us before we can even get inside. And Shepard... she'll be on the ground floor, in case we do get through."

"So it won't be easy," Samara concluded. "Morinth will station them as far away from where she is, meaning it'll take longer to get to her, giving her a greater window of escape."

"Hmm, could be difficult to get to her," Mordin pondered. "Unless..." He fell silent for a minute, then clicked his fingers. "Yes, have plan, could work."

"Care to share it, salarian?" Wrex frowned.

"If we act as a distraction Samara can get to Morinth," Mordin answered. "One of us will take Shepard, the other Vakarian. With them busy, Samara has a clean line to reach Morinth."

"That could work," Samara said. "Are you capable of holding your own, Solus?"

"Of course," Mordin said. "Was member of the S.T.G, holding off a mind-controlled Spectre will be simple in comparison."

...

While Mordin used his connections to log into the Spectre network and began a trace on the missing Spectres, Wrex loaded the hover-car with guidance from Samara. Morinth wouldn't live far from her hunting grounds, but she would be far enough that they couldn't walk the distance. They needed to be prepared.

"She will be fine," Samara said suddenly.

"Who?" Wrex said.

"Shepard," Samara answered. "It was obvious from your interaction with her that there are strong feelings there. Do you love her?"

"Why do you want to know?" Wrex asked.

"Shepard has a good heart," Samara replied. "She is kind and trusting, perhaps too much for her own good. I would not like to see someone as caring as her get hurt."

"Don't worry," Wrex said. "I'd ever hurt Seraphina."

He finished loading the supplies and turned to her, "Now I have something to ask you," he said.

"For your service in helping me I will be willing to answer anything," Samara replied.

"Alright then," he said. "Who is Samara to you? I understand wanting to stop her, but to focus four hundred years of your life on her... I probably don't understand because I'm not immortal, so I need some help."

"Morinth is..." Samara sighed. "Morinth is my daughter."

Wrex should have been surprised, but he was sort of expecting it. After seeing the image of Morinth he felt uneasy to see all the similarities between the two, Samara was just confirming something he had been suspicious of.

"Before I was a Justicar I was a mother to three," Samara continued. "I settled with another asari and gave birth to three daughters. Unfortantely we discovered what our daughters were and two of them - Falere and Rila - chose to live in a monastery. Morinth had other plans."

"What will happen when you catch her?" Wrex asked.

"I will kill her," Samara answered bluntly. "She is my daughter and my pain, if I do not stop her then she will continue to kill."

"And that's it?" Wrex said. "Once she's dead you'll keep being a Justicar?"

"Yes," Samara replied. "I took the oath in order to have the power to stop her. I gave up all possessions bar my armour and weapons, I live for nothing other than to fight and instil justice."

Mordin arrived a second later with the destination of their missing friends and they set off. They were all silent inside the car, Samara's mind focused on the end of her grief and what would be next for her, while Mordin planned the best way to attack the Spectres.

Wrex was quiet for a whole other reason.

What Samara said struck something, he wasn't sure how, but what she said sort of reminded him of how he used to be. Back on Tuchanka he didn't care about what others thought of him, as the first born krogan everyone saw him as the father to a new generation.

But Wrex didn't breed with any females, he let the other new generation males have their way and be the _'fathers of a new world'_. What they didn't seem to realize was that they weren't going to live centuries, not like the old krogan, they thought they could have kids and then live their lives.

Wrex was planning on doing it the other way round. He was going to live his life then have kids, he wanted to live a life like Samara had.

_'I live for nothing other than to fight...'_

Before he was a Spectre he was a rogue, he could admit that, he was a troublemaker and self-proclaimed bastard. He used to stir bad blood on purpose in order to get have a good fight, but then he became a Spectre and everything changed.

He met Garrus, and suddenly turians weren't so bad. Mordin was one of the few salarians he didn't feel like punching. And Seraphina, with her in his life he felt like maybe he could settle and have kids if it was possible. Sitting there and thinking about it, he was surprised by how much he had changed.

"Would you like me to handle Shepard?" Mordin asked.

"What?" Wrex turned to him, only half-listening.

"Would you like for me to take care of Shepard?" Mordin asked.

"No..." Wrex answered. "I need you to take the hover car to the roof, that's where Garrus will be. Jam his gun, it'll give Samara the necessary seconds to get inside the building."

"Are you sure?" Samara asked.

"I'm hoping that if Shepard sees me it might... do some_thing_," Wrex answered.

Samara went to argue, Mordin stopped her.

"We understand," he said. "You do what you must."

Morinth was staying at a tall apartment building in the middle of construction, chances were she would be somewhere around the middle to top floor. She would need to be high enough that she could look down upon those in the street, but not so high that she couldn't make a quick getaway.

Mordin drove in low and Wrex jumped out of the car, he watched the hover-car fly away and charged towards the building. If Garrus was on the roof he didn't want to be out in the open long. He caught sight of the hover car just as it dived onto the roof.

Wrex focused his attention on the front doors and burst into the lobby, weapons raised ready, though he had no intention of actually using them. He just needed to find a way to stop Seraphina. Mordin had not said if the effects of Morinth's powers were permanent, he really hoped they weren't.

The lobby was large, with only a desk set up and wires hanging loose from the ceiling. The back wall was glass and had a view of a garden built into the centre of the building, the door on the right side of the room was locked, but the left was open.

"Seraph!" he called. "Seraphina! Are you here?"

A shot rang out, he ducked and the glass behind him shattered. He turned and saw Seraphina behind the desk, she must have been waiting in cover for him. He dropped his guns and raised his hands in defence. She frowned.

Looking at her he noticed a weird look in her eyes, they seemed to have some sort of strange green aura. At least the effects of Morinth's ability were obvious. Wrex took a cautious step forwards, Seraphina didn't fire. A good sign, maybe Morinth's hold wasn't as strong as they thought.

"You remember me, right?" Wrex said. "Or has that asari fried your brain?"

"_That_ asari?" she repeated. "How dare you speak of Morinth in such a way! As if she's some commoner!"

"Wow, she really _has_ messed you up," Wrex said.

Seraphina's finger went to the trigger, but she didn't fire. Her frown deepened, cutting into her pretty face. He took another step forwards.

"You can't pull the trigger, can you?" he said. "You know who I am, you know how you feel. Not even Morinth can make you think otherwise."

She threw aside the gun and unleashed a powerful biotic blast, knocking him through the open window and into the garden. He hit the ground hard and rolled, she released another biotic blast and he narrowly avoided it. Seraphina entered the garden, her breathing heavy.

Seraphina maybe a biotic, but like all biotics there was a cooling down process. You couldn't just throw out attacks without seriously hurting your body. Morinth knew that and she didn't care. She wanted Seraphina to exhaust her powers.

Wrex charged, she brought up a barrier and he smashed his full weight against it, knocking her back.

"Listen to me!" he roared. "You're being controlled! You're not like this, not my Seraph! You wouldn't work for a killer and you definitely wouldn't be attracted to her - you don't even like asari!"

The green hue flickered, her crimson glow began to bleed through. He had almost broken through. He pushed down on the barrier even harder, cracks began to appear along the shield and Seraphina's mind began to waver.

"I'm sorry, Seraph," he apologized, and knocked her back with a powerful punch.

He smashed through the barrier and struck her face, sending her flying to the ground. She hit the ground and went still. He waited a moment, to see if she would stir, when she didn't move he quietly approached and checked her breathing.

She was still alive, she was fine.

"Seraphina's been taken care of," Wrex informed them. "How is the Garrus situation?"

"It took some time but we managed to subdue him," Samara answered. "We're going to move in on Morinth."

"Send Mordin out in the hover car," Wrex ordered. "If she escapes then he can at least tail her."

"Good idea," Mordin said. "Will do that now."

Wrex glanced sideways at Seraphina as he left, hoping she could forgive him for the punch. He charged up the stairs, following Samara's directions and entered Morinth's hiding place. It had been furbished with a large bed and fashionable seats, but nothing else that she could risk losing.

Morinth was sat on one of the seats, looking at him expectantly. Samara hadn't arrived yet. Good. He wanted a few minutes alone with her before Samara came and ended her pathetic life.

"My powers still not working on you?" she asked casually.

"You're not my type," Wrex retorted.

"And the human is?" she said. "That pretty little thing I could break in two?"

"If you have done anything to her-!" he growled.

"Don't worry," Morinth smiled. "I was going to keep her a little longer, as my little... _pet_. Isn't that what you use her for? I've never known a krogan to take a human lover."

"Why does everyone think I'm just using her?" Wrex snarled. "She is my partner and maybe one she'll be my mate, nothing you or anyone else says will ever change that!"

The door opened and Samara charged into the office, throwing a biotic blast that sent Morinth hurdling from the chair and into the wall. Samara held her there, crushing her body. Morinth glared at her.

"Nice to see you again, mother," Morinth hissed.

"I am not your mother!" Samara said.

Morinth burst free of the biotic field and sent forwards her own blast, Samara blocked the blow and fired another blast of concentrated energy. Morinth did the same, the two powerful beams of power meeting in the middle and sending the air crackling with an intense heat.

Wrex could barely stand it, the power of these two ancient asari was incredible. He wanted to get away, but the atmosphere was so violent and overpowering he didn't think he could break away.

"Fire, Wrex," Samara ordered. "Strike her down!"

"No!" Morinth cried. "I can help you! You're after Cerberus, aren't you? I can take you to them!"

"You're honestly trying to convince me to let you, a murderer and the person who kidnapped my Seraph, to live?" Wrex laughed. "You've got a screw loose."

He pulled out a small pistol from behind his back and fired, striking Morinth's shoulder. She hit the ground, clutching her bleeding wound. Samara rushed over to her daughter and pinned her down by the throat, raising one biotic-fuelled fist.

"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess," Samara prayed.

She brought her fist down, sending a powerful rumble throughout the ground and crushed her daughter's head with a sickening crunch of bone. She took a step back, looking at Wrex with an expression he had never seen her - utter relief.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I have spent the last four hundred years trying to end one of my worst mistakes," Samara replied. "Now that it is over, I can start over and focus my attention on crimes more deserving of my time."

"You didn't really answer my question," Wrex remarked. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel... relieved," Samara answered. "Like a great weight has been lifted. I am finally free, and it is all because of you and your friends. Know this, if you ever have need of me, call and I will be there right at your side."

"Uh, thanks," Wrex smiled. "But what I could really use you for right now is getting Seraph and Garrus back to your place."

"Of course," she said. "Come."

She headed for the exit, not even glancing back at the daughter's whose life she had ended. A daughter who was hardly worth her mother's love and attention.

...

Seraphina and Garrus woke some hours later, their heads throbbing, hers more than she expected. She sat up in one the beds, her face bruised and sore. She glanced over at Garrus, who sat there, starring down at his sniper rifle which was frozen.

"What happened?" he asked. "I can't remember anything..."

"I remember going after Morinth and then..." she gasped. "She had control over me, and you, I think."

"You're fine now."

They both turned at the sound of Wrex's voice. He smiled at Seraphina and nodded at Garrus. He sat beside her on the bed, looking over the dark bruise on her face. He should really apologize, but if she didn't remember then perhaps it was best not to bring it up.

"Has Morinth been taken care of?" Garrus asked.

"She's dead," Wrex answered. "Samara took care of her."

"So what happened to us?" Seraphina asked. "Why does my head hurt?"

"You were under Morinth's control," Wrex replied. "We needed to stop you and the only way to do that was to knock you out."

Mordin walked over, carrying a data pad he handed to Seraphina.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A report on the nanites," Mordin responded. "Anderson will be interested in it, as will you."

Seraphina frowned and quickly read the reports, her eyes widened as the content written sent a chill through her.

"What does it say?" Garrus asked.

"The nanites found within our bodies are exactly the same as the ones found within Matriarch Benezia," Seraphina answered in a shaky tone.

"What?" Wrex gasped. "How the hell did she get the same nanites inside of her?"

"Before your indoctrination I asked for a sample of Benezia's recent DNA sample," Mordin explained. "I too wondered how she could have been so easily controlled, then when I heard about Morinth's _'ability'_ I saw a pattern."

"Morinth did mention having a connection to Cerberus," Wrex said.

"Morinth in fact stole the drug used to control her victims," Mordin answered. "Shortly after Benezia's death an inspection of her apartment lead to the discovery of a couple dozen vials, similar to the one Samara found in Morinth's other apartment. Benezia must have been tricked into using it once and kept doing it because of her master's command. However, after the discovery of the vials they went missing, and the amount of Morinth's victims doubled."

"So she stole evidence and used it?" Seraphina concluded.

Mordin nodded.

"At least we know how Benezia was controlled," Seraphina sighed. "Good... I was worried that maybe she... Never mind, can we just go home?"

"I am ready to leave whenever you are," Mordin said.

"Go pack your things and I'll inform EDI of our situation," Garrus ordered. "Wrex, you stay with Seraphina and keep her company."

"Sure," Wrex said.

Soon Seraphina and Wrex were alone. He lay on the bed beside her and pulled her into a welcoming embrace, she held his arms in place and wished they could have stayed like that forever.

"Do you think Garrus knows about us?" Wrex asked.

Seraphina smirked and pulled him even closer, "Does it matter?" she said.

He smiled and buried his face in her hair, "No," he replied. "Not really. I don't care who knows."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Writing this chapter and having that little segment about children got me thinking, should Seraphina and Wrex have a kid? Not yet of course, maybe several chapters from now, but the thought of Seraphina adopting a cute baby krogan is just too tempting! What do you all think? Feedback would be very helpful._


	16. Fifteenth Assignment

**Fifteenth Assignment**

_The Citadel_

The C-Sec office was crowded that early morning as reality-altering news woke tired Councillors from their beds and ambassadors were forced into the halls of the Presidium to discuss the matter at hand. Civilians went to bars or tuned into the news network, they went wherever there was a live feed of the events.

And of all the Spectre's, Garrus was the one who had to miss the event unfold. Seraphina and Wrex waited in the office of Councillor Anderson, eyes glued to the large screen. Anderson had gone to discuss the matter with the other Councillors and ambassadors, giving them their office.

Seraphina went over to Anderson's terminal and contacted Garrus. He maybe away on a mission but he deserved an hourly update. The call went through with the sound of a bell as confirmation.

"Any news, Seraph?" he asked.

"Not yet," Seraphina replied. "They're being very tight-lip at the moment."

"They have every right to be," Wrex grumbled. "It's not every day you manage to get in contact with another galaxy."

After taking care of Morinth and taking an hour to recover, they returned to the Citadel to discover it abuzz with the news everyone was talking about - the probe Qui'in had finally breeched the barriers of another galaxy and had been taken in by intelligent life.

It was foolish to think in a universe so large and vast that the other galaxies would be empty, but no one expected for the probe to find something so soon. It was sent out about twenty years before the First Contact War, so in reality it had only been gone for about forty-eight years.

It was just a shame Garrus was missing it all.

"Why did I get stuck on recon?" Garrus grumbled. "The most important event of the century is happening and I'm on the other side of the damn universe!"

Garrus had been sent to Wrill in the Eagle Nebula, as far from the Citadel as possible, on a recon mission to assess the threat of a vorcha gang in operation on the planet's surface. The gang wasn't affiliated with any known mercenary groups and wouldn't be a problem, if not for the somewhat coordinated attacks on several freight ships in recent weeks.

Until now the Council could ignore the problem, the vorcha weren't necessarily stealing anything of any value, but now they were more annoyed at the threat than anything. Quentius assigned Garrus to the task at hand, with his sniper he could view the enemy from afar and gather data without having to give away his location.

He was perfect for the mission; he only wished it could have waited.

"Don't worry, Garrus," Seraphina said. "These talks between our Council and this so called _'Qui'in Galaxy Council'_ will go on for weeks; you're not really missing anything right now."

"How do you think Cerberus will react to this?" he asked. "The universe just got a whole lot bigger and humans a whole lot smaller - humanity's ascension seems much further away."

"Cerberus will do what any terrorist group will do," Wrex answered. "They'll retaliate, somehow, just wait and see."

"Mr Optimistic over there," Seraphina smirked. "Anyway, good luck with your mission Garrus. Be sure to come home in one piece."

"Will do, Commander," Garrus teased.

He went offline and Seraphina turned her attention to the screen, wondering just how exactly Cerberus was going to react to the news.

...

_Wrill, the Eagle Nebula_

Garrus struggled to fit into the environmental suit, it was an old model and not necessarily designed for turians, but apparently had been adjusted to accommodate an alien body. The situation would have been worse if not for EDI. She had recently requested to be the permanent ship of all members of Operation Cobra, and not wanting to argue, Quentius agreed.

Having her there was comforting, she was starting to become a friend and she was nice enough to listen to the news and inform him of anything he would want to know. So far the information about the Qui'in Galaxy was basic - it was at least three the size of the Milky Way, it had many more species and even had Mass Relays, suggesting the Protheans had travelled further than historians thought.

The planet Wrill was infamously known for its "near miss" climate, with unbearable heat and a thin toxic methane-ethane atmosphere the environmental suit was necessary to avoid burns and exhaustion. The only way to make a living was to mine tin and copper, to Garrus it wasn't really a surprise a group of vorcha would decide to try to make a living doing something else.

"EDI, relay to me the point of this recon," Garrus ordered.

"Yes, sir," EDI obeyed and brought up a recent incidents report on the screen. "For the last several weeks a group of vorcha have boarded freight ships loaded with various chemicals and stealing the contents of the ships, on their own these chemicals pose no immediate threat."

Garrus looked over the heavy suit and spotted a button beneath the wrist, he clicked it and the suit made a soft noise as the suit adjusted to fit his body. Maybe the suit wasn't so useless after all. He retrieved the helmet, clapsing it onto the joints of the suit.

"What kind of chemicals are we talking about?" Garrus asked. "Anything I need to worry about?"

"Inhalants, mostly," EDI replied.

"Inhalants?" Garrus repeated.

"Yes, breathable chemical vapours that users intentionally inhale because of the chemicals' mind-altering effects," EDI explained.

"It sounds more like these vorcha want to get high," Garrus remarked.

"It would appear so," EDI agreed. "But Doctor Solus believes there is more to this."

"Mordin? What has he got to say about this?" Garrus asked.

EDI quickly contacted Mordin and brought up a video projection of him, the salarian smiled and gave a sharp salute to the turian.

"Hello, Vakarian," he greeted. "You need my assistance?"

"EDI says you're worried about the stuff the vorcha are stealing," Garrus replied.

"Ah, yes, _that_," Mordin sighed. "Among the list of stolen chemicals is the new X-43 and Chemical P-L-9."

"That means nothing to me, Doctor," Garrus replied.

"X-43 is a new drug that targets certain parts of the brain, isolating certain areas and preventing the other parts of the brain from interfering," Mordin explained. "While Chemical P-L9 is hallucinogens that does not merely amplify familiar states of mind, but induces experiences that are qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness."

"So they're bad," Garrus summarised.

"Very much so," Mordin said. "Alone they are dangerous, but together..."

"Are you saying the vorcha are trying to create a chemical weapon?" Garrus asked. "The _vorcha_?"

"It sounds... improbable," Mordin admitted. "It's why I don't believe the vorcha are leading this operation."

Garrus frowned, he knew exactly what Mordin was suggesting, but why would Cerberus hire vorcha to do their dirty work? Surely they realized how unreliable the vorcha were, especially when it came to chemical warfare. The vorcha wouldn't know where to start building a chemical weapon unless someone was leading them, so unless a human was in charge - unlikely - or another vorcha with enough brains to lead such a plan - very unlikely - then the vorcha couldn't be tied with Cerberus.

"I'll go onto Wrill and investigate the site of operation," Garrus announced. "If I find anything that could possible link the vorcha to Cerberus I'll let you know right away."

"Excellent," Mordin smiled. "Would also suggest finding plans or perhaps even data used to construct the weapon."

"If there even is a weapon," Garrus mumbled.

Mordin's image vanished from the shuttle and EDI landed the small vessel.

Garrus loaded his weapons and stepped out into the scorching heat, taking in his first look of Wrill. The ground was hard and red, cracked with various scars that cut across the dusty ground. The air was thick and yellow, smothered by huge columns of smoke spewed from the hundreds of factories that covered the land.

Wrill was just how Garrus imagined it.

He left the shuttle in the cover of bony leaf-less trees and followed an incline up a hill, listening to EDI's directions as he was led through the strange forest and up to the top of a valley. Below him was a large factory, but it was different to the others he had seen so far.

No smoke came from the chipped chimneys, there were guards on the door and patrolling the grounds and parked near the entrance was a transport ship. If EDI's directions were right then this was where the vorcha had been stashing their goods. He moved along the top of the valley until he came to a banking, he followed it down and hid behind some supply crates.

He peered over the top of the crate, watching the guards on the door. There was only two at the front entrance and one at the back, with four guards patrolling the ground which took them half an hour to complete a full sweep.

He allowed the guards to pass and quickly made his way to the back entrance, the vorcha on guard had gotten distracted and was staring at something in the distance. _Perfect._ Garrus pulled out his sniper and carefully took aim; he would need the body so he didn't want to make a mess.

He aimed for the side of the vorcha's skull and popped off a silent shot, the vorcha slumped against the wall. It didn't even have time to scream. Garrus quickly moved in, repositioned the vorcha and wiped the blood away. He left it to look like the guard had fallen asleep on duty.

Not that it mattered; it would be another half hour before the guards came back this way, hopefully by then he would be gone. Garrus entered the establishment, surprised to find the factory floor had been cleared out and replaced with a state of the art laboratory and even more shocked at the sight of the salarian scientists working.

Up high on the railings more guards watched, several positioned near an office at the other end of the large room. Garrus took cover behind some equipment, keeping low and to the shadows. There were guards on the floor, watching the nervous salarians work.

So the vorcha weren't creating this weapon themselves.

Garrus called Mordin, setting the audio low and confined to his helmet, and switched on a two-way video-feed so the salarian could see the vorcha's plans.

"You was right, Solus," Garrus whispered. "The vorcha aren't working alone. Do you recognize any of these salarians?"

"Recognize them from missing person reports," Mordin answered. "All specialists in the field of bio-engineering and pharmacologists. Reports do no mention vorcha interference."

There came a noise from the office, a sudden and deafening shriek a vorcha was incapable of creating. The vorcha seemed to panic for a moment before they stood to attention and the captured salarians fell to the knees, as if to hide.

The office door opened and a huge creature emerged, a towering beast of ashy flesh and four eyes, more teeth than Garrus dared to count. It took heavy steps forward, making the very ground tremble. Garrus felt the over-powering urge to run, but he stood his ground and held down on his weapon, as if to keep him tethered.

"What the fuck is that - that _thing?"_ Garrus hissed.

"Impossible!" Mordin gasped. "A... _yahg?"_

"You can't be serious!" Garrus said. "Those things are banned from Citadel space! This thing is in charge of the vorcha?"

"No," Mordin replied. "Look at its right arm, on the sleeve of its uniform."

Garrus brought up his scope and had a better look at the beast, spotting the thing Mordin pointed out - a Cerberus badge. This thing worked for Cerberus? But why? It made sense to have such a terrifying beast oversee such a project, Cerberus could no way be linked to the creature unless someone knew the origin behind the symbol, and it would appear as though this creature was taking revenge for being banished from the rest of the galaxy.

One vorcha approached the fearsome beast, its knees trembling.

"Commander Parnack," it stammered. "The project is near-completion; we will be ready to release it within the next hour."

"Not good enough," Parnack said in an oddly calm voice. "The leaders of the galaxy are on the Citadel and unless we act soon they will be gone."

"They won't leave within the next hour," the vorcha argued.

Parnack turned on the vorcha, grabbed him by the neck and squeezed. The vorcha gasped as it was hoisted off the ground, clawing at the huge hand that held it suspended.

"We can't guarantee that they will still be there!" he roared. "There are other places they could go - to Qui'in itself! We need to do this now!"

Parnack threw the vorcha and he hit his head hard against the stone walls, he fell to the floor and didn't get back up. Parnack turned on the salarians, they whimpered.

"Is the gas ready right now?" he asked.

"Y-yes," one replied. "But..."

"But?" Parnack growled.

"But, uh, the gas does not yet possess the ability to kill its target," the same salarian answered.

Parnack rubbed the sharp extrusions on his chin, "But it will still function to its original purpose?" he asked.

The salarian nodded.

"Good," Parnack smiled. "If we release it now then we can use that hour to finish it - Command Leader, give the order!"

_They already have barrels of this toxic shit on the Citadel?_ Garrus gasped. _They've been prepared for so long and we didn't even know._

Command Leader - an ugly green skinned vorcha - clambered over himself as he rushed to the control room and began to bark orders at his squad. Mordin could warn them, but Garrus felt as though that wouldn't be enough.

"How am I supposed to stop them?" Garrus asked. "They'll see me as soon as I get out of cover. Should I grab the data and run?"

"... Forget the data," Mordin ordered.

"What?" Garrus gasped.

"I will prepare C-Sec officers as well as I can," Mordin explained. "If we can warn them in time we may stop the attack, if not I will make preparations to collect samples and device a cure. You must stop Parnack and destroy the data."

"Are you sure?" Garrus asked. "If I had Wrex and Seraphina then maybe I could, but I'm alone!"

"You can do this," Mordin assured him. "Aim for eyes and keep your distance."

"What about the vorcha?" Garrus asked.

"They will not intervene," Mordin said.

"How can you be so sure?" Garrus said.

"Have never seen vorcha so scared of another species," Mordin replied. "Perhaps seeing you kill Parnack will assert some dominance over them."

"Here's hoping your right," Garrus moaned and took aim.

"Don't worry," Mordin smiled. "Am always right."

The ground trembled beneath his feet and his cover was torn up from the ground, wires splitting as the heavy equipment was lifted and thrown across the room. The yagh's shadow fell over Garrus and he smiled a horrible toothy grin.

"What do we have here?" he growled. "A little turian rat."

Garrus clutched his gun, squeezing it until it groaned under the pressure. The vorcha aimed their weapons at the spy, the salarians said a silent prayer for the Spectre, and Parnack laughed.

"I better call an exterminator."

...

Garrus' video feed ended abruptly, the last thing Mordin saw was Parnack smile and he felt uneasy at the thought of leaving Garrus to face the terrible beast. He pushed his worry aside and quickly went to work in his lab, he picked up a clear gas mask - specially designed for a salarian, it covered his mouth and nose, giving his eyes the freedom and view a scientist needed - and placed it over his face.

He began to ready his equipment and called the C-Sec office, he was met by a dial tone. **LINE BUSY.** He grunted and slammed a fist against the terminal. He was running out of time, any second now and -

A harsh hissing noise interrupted his thoughts and his lab was filled with a thick green smoke, an alarm went off somewhere and a red light flooded the room. He quickly collected a sample of the gas. He ran out of his lab and into the corridor, around him people were collapsing and screaming.

He examined one patient, a hanar who lay completely still, muttering to oneself over and over again about something incomprehensible. He checked another fallen victim, a human woman who cried and mumbled something about taking away her children.

He tried to grab her attention, but she stared ahead, her eyes blood shot as she looked at something that made her body tremble. Mordin's theory was correct. He knew whoever had taken the chemicals was going to use them to enhance some sense or feeling, he should have known the gas was going to be designed to attack the Amygdala.

From what he had learnt from the gathered chemicals and what he had seen, the inhalants attacked the Thalamus - the part of the brain that send incoming sensory data. From there the X-43 bypassed the sensory cortex, the only thing that could really interpret what was happening and prevent it, to directly attack the Hippocampus. Then with the help of P-L9 the Amygdala brought up stored fear memories and the victim begins to suffer vivid hallucinations.

Mordin stood and made his way to the control centre. He needed reverse the flow of the vents, he knew it wouldn't cure the victims but it would stop the gas from spreading. Then he would need to initiate a shut down. He didn't know if the vorcha were already inside, but he was going to make sure they didn't do any more damage.

He found the main console and found someone already at the controls. The creature turned to him, its eyes dark and calm, and walked away. Mordin watched the keeper go as the console helpfully informed him of a **VENTALATION REVERSE** and **CITADEL QUARATINE**.

The room grew cool and the vents inhaled the gas, expelling the toxic mess into space. The air cleared, but the red light remained on. The Keeper left the room and went on with his business and Mordin spotted another Keeper further down the room. Always there to help, they must have realized something was wrong and sorted the problem for him.

_Wait..._

The Keepers weren't affected by the gas? The thought struck him a little too late, he should have realized it as soon as he saw the Keepers. He knew how to cure the victims.

"Garrus, are you there?" Mordin called. "I have devised a cure, should not take long to create. How are things on your end?"

Mordin was met by a harsh silence.

"Garrus...?"

...

Garrus tried to move, tried to run, but he was pinned. He tasted blood in his mouth and he was quickly losing focus, Parnack's grip around his throat was so tight, he was going to pass out any moment if he didn't do anything quickly.

It had happened so fast.

Parnack punched him, smashing his visor, and blood flooded Garrus' mouth. He hit the wall and tried to fire as the yahg charged, he managed to avoid the first assail, but not the second. The yahg threw him across the room and slammed him into a work bench, and then wrapped one large hand around Garrus' throat and squeezed.

His vision began blur, he saw spots. He tried to get a hold on his gun; he was still amazed he had managed to hold onto it for so long. But he couldn't aim. He couldn't get a shot in. He... _I'm going to die._

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_The addition of a new galaxy, though not of great importance to the current storyline, will play a big part in the sequel of Spectres, starring Garrus! I had to add it here though in order for Garrus' story to make any sense._

_Also, all dialogue and scenes that originally included Grunt have now been replaced with Wreav. It'll make sense eventually, I promise, though I would appreciate it if I am informed if I accidently left it as Grunt in any place._


	17. Sixteenth Assignment

**Sixteenth Assignment**

_Around him were corpses, thousands and thousands of fallen krogan who fell to ash and ruin. Tuchanka was unrecognizable, nothing but rubble and bone, not even the sky was the same. It was different, it was horrible, it was everything he feared. Wrex sat there, unable to move, unable to speak, as all around him his world fell to ruin and he could do nothing to stop it._

_He saw bits of armour in the dirt, armour he recognized. Shards of blue metal that stuck out of the ground and besides it the skull of a turian, not far from that was a familiar red head. She lay on her side, bleeding from a large wound to the head and he wanted to call to her. He wanted to stand and hold her, to try and save her.  
_

_But he couldn't. He couldn't do anything.  
_

_He tried to move his head, with a painful jolt it snapped to the side, and he saw Bakara on the floor, still and cold and holding a small bundle in her head. Something small like a baby. He felt sick. He wanted to get up and fight, find whoever had done this and make them pay._

_His mission and sole purpose in life was to fight and protect his clan, his goal was to rule to Urdnot. But how could he do that if he was so helpless and weak? If he didn't have the strength to stand and protect his family and friends how could he rule Urdnot?_

_...  
_

_Wrill, the Eagle Nebula_

_I'm going to die._

The thought shook Garrus; never had such a disturbing thing crossed his mind. Not even during his training when his father dumped him on some of the most bloody and intense battles did he ever stop to think, _I'm going to die._

But facing Parnack, having that monster's hand around his throat, Garrus actually feared for his life. And he didn't like that feeling. He fought the hazy spell that came over him, pushing past the pain, trying to remember his training.

_ - Don't get caught in a position where you can't fight back._

_ - Don't give them the advantage._

_- Keep fighting until there's not a breath left in your body._

At fifteen they grilled this into him. All day and all night. He would awake and recite his pledge, he would go to bed and said it as a prayer. And now he said it, as Parnack chocked him, he repeated this over and over until his vision cleared and he saw the yahg clearly. The way it grinned in delight as Garrus gasped in pain.

Garrus managed to muster the strength to lift his rifle, and knew he didn't need a clear shot. He just needed _a_ shot. He managed to get it straight and fired before Parnack could stop him.

Parnack roared in pain and released Garrus, he covered his face as blood seeped through his claws. Garrus got to his feet and stumbled away, inhaling deeply. He did wonder for a moment how he could breathe in this atmosphere, but he remembered the salarians, there must have been some sort of filter inside the building.

So did that mean the yahg couldn't breathe in the methane-ethane atmosphere? If only he could figure out a way to get the brute outside without endangering the salarians. Or maybe...

He looked over to the salarians and spotted a scientist crouched near him, holding a strange looking vial. The salarian said nothing, but Garrus knew what it was. He glanced over at Parnack, the yahg was trying to clean the blood from his face, it looked like Garrus took out one of his eyes.

Good. He hoped the eye festered.

Garrus got to his feet and recovered his thoughts, it hurt to breathe and his brain was a little scrambled, but he was still alive. Now he had to figure out how to get a yahg to swallow poison.

...

_She heard screaming._

_Before she heard anything else, it was the screaming she heard, and not the screaming of her comrades. She heard the scream of a thresher maw. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, anything to block out the slaughter around her._

_She fell to her knees and stared down at the ground, it was thick with blood. It pooled around her, soaking through her uniform. She heard someone call her name; she hesitantly looked up and saw one of the marines whose name she forgot. He screamed something at her, but she couldn't hear what he said, all she heard was screaming._

_The ground opened up behind him and he was ripped in two, his torso pulled underground in a bloody shower that gushed upwards like a fountain. The legs twitched and fell to the ground, insides spilling out onto the floor. Seraphina wanted to run, she wanted to clean the blood off her face, and just wanted to get away._

_But she stayed for some reason, she stayed and hid. She wanted to help, but she was so weak... so weak... She needed to be stronger, that way she could protect everyone._

...

Mordin worked as quickly as he could, which, by salarian standards, wasn't fast enough. He was getting older, he could feel it in his bones, but he wasn't going to let it slow him down. He was on a break-through; he knew how to cure the victims of the gas.

The Keepers carried a naturally immunity to the X-43, something he discovered after having to grab one and having to watch it self-destruct. It was unfortunate, but it couldn't be helped. He retrieved a sample and discovered a protein within the Keeper's that gave them a naturally immunity to any sort of drug that interfered with the sensory cortex.

Extracting the cell that carries the immunity, Mordin was hoping to strengthen the sensory cortex of the victims, allowing for it to fight off the effects of the X-43 and give the body the ability to return to normal. There was no guarantee it would work, due to the difference in biology, but he prayed it would work.

He couldn't release it as a gas, it would take too long to construct and the condense. So that left only one option, release it into the water tank and set off the sprinklers. He just needed to finish it.

...

Parnack charged and swiped at the turian's head, Garrus dived aside and Parnack left deep incisions in the wall. The vorcha watched, cheering on their yahg leader. The salarians barely moved. Garrus kept ducking low and dodging hits, Parnack managed to get a few hits in and had left some nasty cuts, but it was fine.

All Garrus had to do was keeping dodging and when the time was right he would make his move. He fired a wide shot, striking Parnack's arm. He hissed in annoyance. He charged forwards, lowering his head and struck Garrus in the gut, throwing him back into a work bench.

Garrus rolled to the floor and outstretched his arm; the nervous salarian quickly placed the vial in Garrus' hand and ran for cover. Just what he needed. It wasn't his best plan, he could admit it, but it was the only one he had.

He set his rifle on the bench and fired at the approaching yahg; he burst another eye, and nicked the neck. Parnack roared in anger.

"Face me like a man!" he bellowed.

"Come and get me then!" Garrus punched his chest, egging the yahg on.

Parnack charged forwards, crushing the the bench beneath his weight. Garrus swung his rifle, Parnack caught it. Garrus fired his gun, catching the side of Parnack's face. He cried out in pain and Garrus threw the vial into Parnack's mouth, he closed his mouth -_ An automatic response, _Garrus thought - and went still.

He looked at Garrus, his remaining eyes staring ahead, a trace of fear. He coughed and blood poured out of his mouth, Parnack began to panic and staggered back, feeling the blood drip through his talons and began to bleed through his eyes.

The vorcha watched as Parnack gagged and trembled, trying to hold onto his blood as if it would help. His knees buckled and he fell with a loud thud, going still for a hard second, and then collapsed to the floor. He twitched, but made no other moves.

Parnack was dead.

Garrus glared at the vorcha, "Who's next?" he roared.

The vorcha looked at one another uncertainty and slowly dropped their weapons; they raised their arms in the arm in surrender.

"Mordin," Garrus called. "How is everything?"

...

In the Citadel's reservoir station Mordin stood over a large vat of clear water, the supply for the fire alarm system. Beside him was a large barrel, it was a little amount compared to what he could prepare if he had more time.

"Preparing cure now," Mordin replied. "Assume Parnack is dead?"

"Yeah," Garrus replied. "Had some help from a good bunch of salarians."

Mordin tipped the barrel into the vat and the water turned a bright red. He went over to the controls, pulled the lever and the sprinkler's burst as the cure was released. Mordin smiled and felt the cool liquid on his face.

"Mission accomplished," he said. "Will prepare Alliance forces to pick up salarians and vorcha."

"I'll be home soon," Garrus said. "Save me a spot on the couch."

Mordin only smiled and went to check on the waking Councillors, they probably had a lot of questions.

...

Seraphina felt something wet on her face, but not cold like blood, it was... _warm._ Comforting, almost. Around her the thresher maws scream faded and the darkness brightened, she heard her voice and woke to a pleasant sight - Wrex.

"Seraphina, can you hear me?" he called.

"Y-yeah," she stammered. "What... happened?"

"Last thing I remember was a... gas," Wrex replied.

He helped her to her feet as the water continued fall lightly, she held out her hand and examined the strange red liquid. What exactly was it and how the hell did it have this affect on them? She wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling Mordin was involved somehow.

"Were we attacked?" she asked. "I can't really remember."

"I don't remember much after the gas," Wrex answered. "All I can think about is this dream I had..."

"You too?" she said. "I had a horrible nightmare, I..."

She bit down on her lip, unable to retell the horror she had to witness again. Wrex touched her arm, squeezing comfortingly. She smiled weakly at him.

"Let's go find Mordin," she said. "He may know what happened."

...

_Later_

_"-news of the Citadel attack has sent mass panic throughout the galaxy when a terrorist plot was uncovered by Doctor Mordin Solus and Spectre Garrus Vakarian. At the moment details are unclear, but what can be confirmed is the threat has been neutralised. In another news, _Blasto the Jellyfish Stings_ has come under fire from anti-defamation groups who object to the use of the term _'jellyfish'_, which many hanar view as an ethnic slur."_

Wrex switched off the screen and threw aside the remote. He turned to his friends who sat so comfortably on the couch. Was he the only one who was bothered by what had happened? Cerberus had just attacked the Citadel and none of them seemed to care.

"Wrex, sit down," Seraphina said. "When you pace like that it makes me worry."

"Well, this Citadel thing _is_ making me worry," Wrex answered.

"We're all worried," Garrus said.

"You're sure not showing it," Wrex remarked.

"Wrex, please, just sit down," Seraphina said.

"What happened should be learned from," Mordin said. "Cerberus fears the Qui'in Council as much as they fear us. They know what will happen when we meet."

"Humans become that much more insignificant," Seraphina sighed. "Which only means one thing..."

"Cerberus' next attacks will be power ploys," Garrus answered. "They're going to want to get as much power as they can before anything is finalised."

"Which means this job just got a lot tougher..." Wrex smiled. "Good."

_To Be Continued..._


	18. Seventeenth Assignment

**Seventeenth Assignment**

_The Citadel_

"For the last time, Councillor Quentius - Cerberus is _not_ a threat."

Quentius felt his fists clench and he desperately wanted to punch the salarian in the face, some days he wanted to knock Tevos and Valern's head together and show them everything Cerberus had done. He wanted to show them the people they murdered, the lives they ruined, but somewhere he knew it wouldn't be enough.

In the Meeting Room, a small informal room no one other than Councillors were allowed to enter, the four Councillors sat around a round table and discussed the recent attack on the Citadel. Mordin Solus and Garrus Vakarian may have stopped the aggressors before any lives were lost, but it greatly damaged the Qui'in Council's opinion of their Milky Way cousins.

Thankfully the Qui'in Council had not been present during the attack; they were en route to discuss the situation when the quarantine was initiated. They were aware the attack was only executed because of the Qui'in's attempt to make contact with the Milky Way Citadel Council, and they worried that perhaps they were not prepared to open their borders.

Anderson gave Quentius a knowing look, and the turian calmed down. He took a deep breath and slowly unclenched his fists.

"How could Cerberus not be a threat when they were prepared to murder us all?" Quentius argued.

"One symbol on one yahg does not mean Cerberus are involved," Salern countered.

"Then explain why so many incidents involve this one symbol?" Anderson said. "We've seen countless crime scenes over the years where the perpetrators wear this symbol - and you say they aren't an issue?"

"No!" Tevos snapped. "We don't even know if this symbol does belong to Cerberus. No one has ever come forwards with information and we've never seen any sort of figure head."

"Quentius, Anderson, you know we trust you," Salern added. "But unless we have real proof - some sort of connection between Cerberus, a live operative to interrogate, any physical evidence of a leader - then we can't do anything."

"But this symbol-"

"Could mean anything," Tevos interrupted. "It could be a gang marking, a band icon, anything."

Quentius went to argue, Anderson stopped him.

"We understand your doubt," Anderson said. "Sometimes even I wonder if Cerberus is real. We will not discuss the matter further."

"Thank you," Valern smiled. "Now, we need to focus on what we are to do with the Qui'in Council."

"We must arrange for another meeting, somewhere more secure," Tevos said.

"Yes," Valern agreed. "We will also need techs and engineers, if all goes well and we are allowed into the Qui'in Galaxy our Mass Relay's must be synced up."

Quentius fell silent, glaring ahead as the Councillors around him seemed excited to discuss the Qui'in Council. He contributed little, offered no thoughts. How could he focus on one galaxy when his own was in such need?

The meeting concluded and he remained seated. Tevos rolled her eyes at the Councillor who acted much like a stubborn child, and left him to stew. Valern was a little bit more hesitant. She tried to catch his eye, but he didn't even look at her.

She sighed and left.

"You're not making any friends, Quentius," Anderson remarked.

Quentius jumped to his feet and grabbed Anderson by the collar, glaring at the human who returned the look calmly.

"Enough, human!" Quentius snapped. "It's your species that's causing this problem! What the hell was that _'we shall not discuss this matter'_ crap?"

"If we keep talking about Cerberus then Tevos will eventually get suspicious and undercover Operation Cobra," Anderson replied. "We're close, Quentius, I can feel it. But if you go around causing a storm then we may alert a Cerberus spy to our plans and then what?"

His words sunk in slowly, and Quentius' anger with it. Anderson was right. They had been careful so far, Cerberus wasn't aware of their plan otherwise they would have already been attacked. If Quentius angered his fellow Councillors and they said something to the wrong person...

Quentius released Anderson's collar, and sighed heavily. He suddenly felt very foolish.

"I'm sorry, old friend," Quentius apologized. "My outburst was... inappropriate. I'm just very tired of hiding - I was never really the cloak and dagger type."

"Don't worry about Cerberus," Anderson said. "Go home and turn your attention to something else, let me worry about Cerberus."

"Okay," Quentius nodded. "Just... give me a moment. I need to think."

Anderson obeyed his friend's wishes and gave him a moment alone. Quentius stood there, thinking about Cerberus and all it had done in the last few months, and he feared that they were getting serious. Maybe too serious for just three Spectre's to handle.

_Well_, he thought. _Four, I suppose. Solus was a key factor in stopping Cerberus' attack on the Citadel. I'll have to add him to the team._

The door opened to the dark room.

"Anderson, I'm fine, really," he said.

He turned around and froze at the sight of Valern. The asari stood there awkwardly, looking up at the turian who had tried so hard in the recent weeks to distance himself from Valern. She took a step forwards and he backed up and hit the table.

"Is something wrong, Quentius?" she asked. "You haven't spoken to me in some time. Have I upset you?"

"No!" he said quickly. "It's not you, Valern... it's..."

"Is it Cerberus?" Valern asked.

Quentius didn't answer.

"My love," she said. "You know how I feel about Cerberus, but it shouldn't stop us from being together."

"You know very well it's not Cerberus's that's stopping us," Quentius said. "My wife... she'll ruin me."

"Is that really so important to you?" Valern asked.

"You know it's not!" he said. "But what happens if I leave her and she knows why? I'll become a social pariah and will probably lose my Council statesmanship - no one would want me representing them. And what about you? The same could happen to you. Where does that leave us?"

"So we continue to sneak and lie until when?" Valern asked. "Until your wife dies?"

"I'll think of something, I promise," he stepped towards her and hugged her. "I just need more time."

"Time, my love, is something an asari has plenty of."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_La la la, filler! This is probably very unimportant and very insignificant and probably shouldn't even be a chapter, but for some reason it seemed important to let the reader know about how the Councillors are handling the recent attack and just fill in a little of Quentius' character._

_Anyway - next time, Operation Cobra are called to Omega to stop Cerberus from taking control of Aria's kingdom of sleeze and debauchery._


	19. Eighteenth Assignment

**Eighteenth Assignment**

_Afterlife Club, Omega_

Aria stared at her drink, some strong turian brew that she had seen knock over more party-goers than a drunk elcor. Normally, something like this would have warmed her throat and put her at ease, allowed her to enjoy the thumping rhyme and base of the music. But today the drink was flat, it didn't warm her and it didn't ease her.

Rarely had Aria ever felt so..._ tense_. This wasn't like her, she didn't get worried, and she certainly didn't twitchy over something her men had done countless times before. This was different though; this raid on an enemy base was different to the previous attacks she had organized over her ruling. She wasn't sure how she knew, but somewhere, deep down, she knew something had gone wrong.

She just didn't know what.

Her guards had noticed her unease; they knew not to comment on it. If they pointed out Aria's obvious weakness she would have them cut down, she couldn't let such a thing reach the public. One guard, a turian with purple markings on his face, slowly approached Aria.

"What is it, Grizz?" she snapped.

He jumped at her tone; she must have been in a bad mood if she was snapping at such a little thing. "We still haven't heard back from Anto," he informed her. "The other guards are getting... worried. It shouldn't take this long."

"This opposing gang was strong enough to force my hand," Aria reminded him. "We knew they weren't going to simply fall at my feet."

"But still..." Grizz started.

The lights and music suddenly died, plunging the club into darkness. On the dance floor, party-goers muttered loudly and others demanded the music return. Glasses smashed and by the sound of it a dancer fell off a table. People panicked so terribly in the dark. Grizz ordered one of his men to check the generator while he ordered the others to fall into position.

"Switch on your emergency lights!" he ordered. "Protect Aria! That is your only priority."

He shined his light on Aria; she covered her eyes and glared at him. He smiled sheepishly and lowered the light.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It looks like a power shortage," he replied. "But I can't be sure until the guard returns."

The lights and music came back on quickly, the party-goers cheered and quickly returned to dancing and drinking. The fallen dancer returned to the table and tried to act as though nothing had happened. Grizz's comm buzzed, he looked at Aria, she nodded wordlessly and he answered.

"Report," he said calmly.

"There's nothing wrong with the generator," the guard replied. "No sign of interference, it just looks like someone switched it off."

"Was there anyone else in the room?" Grizz asked.

"The room was locked," the guard answered. "Whoever got in either bypassed the lock or knew the code."

An armoured guard ran up to them, seeming panicked. Grizz aimed his gun at the batarian and the injured batarian skidded to a halt, almost falling forwards. At first Grizz didn't recognize the badly beaten batarian, who stood there bleeding from more wounds than Grizz dared count and barely standing on his battered legs, but slowly it sunk in.

_Anto Korragan._

His armour was all but gone and his face appeared to have been beaten by the end of a gun, his noise was broken and he could barely keep his eyes open. The part of his body visibile were covered in thick lacerations and appeared to sting, had he been tortued? Judging by all the blood, Grizz had a sinking feeling that not all of it was Anto's.

Anto's legs trembled and he collapsed to the floor. Grizz ran to his side and Aria jumped to her feet.

"What happened?" she demanded. "Did the gang do this to you?"

Anto threw up a pool of blood, "They aren't a gang..." he wheezed.

"What do you mean?" Grizz asked. "Anto, what happened?"

"It was... a _trap,"_ Anto gasped. "They wanted us... to go to... them."

"Why?" Aria said. "What are they after?"

"The..." Anto coughed painfully and clutched his side.

"Anto!" Grizz shook him. "Stay with us!" he turned to his men. "Get a doctor, quickly!"

Aria crouched besides Anto, grabbing his shoulder. "Who are they after?" she asked quietly.

Anto looked at her, his vision unclear, and managed to get out his last few words. "The Patriarch," he whispered.

He reached into his ruined armour and passed her a data pad, she took it from his limp grasp and Anto went still. Grizz checked his pulse and sighed in relief.

"He's alive, for now," Grizz informed Aria. "What does the data pad say, Aria?"

She didn't respond. She stood and turned away from him, disturbingly quiet.

"Aria?" he called.

She looked at the message written on the data pad, that uneasy feeling from before rising up inside of her as the hard message mockingly stared back at her.

**WE HAVE PATRIARCH IN OUR CUSTODY AND LISELLE WITHIN OUR SIGHTS. IF YOU TRY TO INTERVENE IN THE TAKEOVER OF OMEGA OR EVEN ATTEMPT TO LEAVE AFTERLIFE WE WILL KILL THEM BOTH.**

The more times she read it the stronger her rage grew, she crushed the data pad in two and threw the shards to the floor. She turned to Grizz, a fire burning in her eyes that put him at ease. It seemed Aria had gotten rid of her unease. The Queen of Omega was ready for revenge.

"Take Anto somewhere safe and have him fixed up," Aria ordered. "When he wakes find out if anyone else survived and retrieve them."

"What should the rest of the guards do?" Grizz asked.

"Nothing," Aria replied.

"What?" Grizz gasped. "Aria, you can't be serious! If someone has taken Patriarch-"

"Your job is to obey," Aria interrupted. "Not to voice opinions."

Grizz sighed and bowed, "Very well."

A doctor arrived with a stretcher, they loaded Anto and prepared to take him away, when he grabbed Grizz's arm. He put something in the turian's hand and smiled weakly, "At least... Aria will... know who... she's up against," he mumbled.

They took him away and Grizz looked at the item in his hand, a piece of clothing ripped from the enemy, probably during Anto's escape.

"What is it?" Aria asked.

Grizz handed over the black piece of fabric, Aria studied it carefully and she smiled.

"This is just what I needed," Aria purred.

"It... is?" Grizz frowned.

"Of course!" Aria smiled. "I was going to ask my dear friend Shepard for a favour, but now with this she'll still owe me."

"You know who's behind this attack?" Grizz asked.

"I do now," Aria replied.

She took a lighter from one of her guards and set the fabric alight; she dropped the burning cloth into her glass.

"Burn, Cerberus, burn!" she chanted. "I'll teach you what happens when you mess with my business."

...

_The Citadel_

_"Nearly a fortnight has passed since the attack on the Citadel, and though the vorcha responsible have been taken into custody and are due to face trial, there are still a few questions left unanswered. How did a yahg get his hands on such weaponry?"_

Seraphina stood outside Liara's apartment, arm raised, ready to knock but unable to bring her arm down. Liara had returned a few days ago, after finally sorting out her mother's business. She returned at a bad time, with the recent attack on the Citadel security was tighter and a curfew had been put in place.

It wasn't a good time to live on the Citadel.

Seraphina decided to go see her and see how she was coping with the new restrictions on Citadel life, but she just couldn't. Liara probably didn't want to see her and Seraphina wasn't going to push her, just give her a little more time and then maybe they could talk.

No matter what happened, Seraphina was still the woman who had killed Liara's mother, and no matter the reason Seraphina was never going to able to wash the blood off her hands. She turned and walked away, heading up to her apartment.

_Give her some time,_ she thought. _She'll see me when she's ready._

She arrived at her apartment and found a turian stood outside. She didn't recognize him as an officer of C-Sec or any of the locals, his uniform was different and the purple markings on his face were different to any colony's known in the area. He looked at her carefully and seemed to nod to himself.

"Seraphina Shepard?" he said.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Grizz," he introduced. "I work for Aria."

"What does she want?" she asked.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" he inquired. "What I have to tell you could cause... _problems,_ if the wrong people were to overhear."

Seraphina frowned, "What is this about?" she asked.

Grizz looked around the empty corridor and leaned in close and whispered, "Cerberus."

Seraphina should have felt surprised, but after everything that had happened she had come to accept that Cerberus would do anything. In fact, she was growing rather tired of them. It was her job to chip at the empire until it finally came crumbling down, but sometimes she just wished she had never heard its bloody name.

"Come with me," she said.

She led him into the apartment and he was surprised to find a krogan sat in the kitchen. Wrex rose at the sight of the turian and crossed the room to stand defensively between his human and the stranger.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"Grizz, he works for Aria," Seraphina replied. "They need our help."

"With Cerberus?" Wrex guessed.

Seraphina nodded.

"I'll call Garrus," Wrex glared at Grizz and slowly went over to the terminal.

"Tell me what happened," Seraphina ordered.

"A few hours ago Aria's second-in-command, Patriarch, was kidnapped while we raided a base that belonged to Cerberus," Grizz answered. "We had no idea the gang was part of Cerberus or that it was all a plan to divide our numbers and take Patriarch. Aria can't attack; if she could I wouldn't be here."

"So she wants us to take care of her problem for her?" Seraphina said. "She wants to use her favour so soon?"

"Oh, no," Grizz smiled. "This isn't her favour."

"What?" Seraphina frowned.

"Cerberus wants control over Omega and if it succeeds, then the biggest supplier of guns and narcotics will be under the control of an organization that would love nothing more than to use its new power to humanity's advantage," Grizz explained. "While Aria is unable to defend her kingdom, you are unable to ignore such a call to arms. If you did, then it wouldn't necessarily work out for anyone, would it?"

"Why can't Aria attack?" she asked. "With her power it would be easy to kick Cerberus off Omega."

"If I knew I'd tell ya," Grizz shrugged. "But Aria is saying very little, which means the situation must be bad."

The door opened and Garrus entered the apartment, Mordin at his side. Seraphina raised a quizzing brow.

"Mordin is part of the team now," Garrus replied simply. "He needs to here this too."

Seraphina turned her attention back to Grizz, "We'll go to Omega and sort this out," she said. "But I want to see Aria first. I'm not doing anything until I talk to her."

"That's fine by us," Grizz said. "Aria suspected as much."

Grizz stood and calmly regarded the odd team; he had never seen such a strange bunch of people. It was almost like Fate had reached into a bag and picked up the first few cards it touched and drew them, not knowing what sort of consequence would come of their effort.

None of them knew it, but Cerberus was worried. They had thousands of cells, units dedicated to a hundred different things, but in the past several months some of their biggest projects had been taken down through the work of three individuals, one of which was a human. It must have been the ultimate betrayal.

Operation Cobra was covering a lot of ground, first with the fake firearm ring they broke up. With that gone, Alliance Forces and C-Sec tightened checks on all weapons, meaning fakes were easier to detect and locate. Then Cerberus lost a hold on galactic politics when the children of senators and ambassadors were saved.

A virus designed to prevent further breeding of alien races was stopped before it could do any damage, the threat of a new quarian/geth war was snuffed before it could spread, one of the biggest names in asari politics was stopped before she could damage her career and her species further and finally, they saved the new and weak relationship between the Milky Way and the Qui'in Galaxy.

To look back, they would see that they had covered so much ground and put Cerberus' master in such a tight spot he was forced to resort to dirty tactics and take over a kingdom of sleeve and debauchery. Cerberus was in trouble and they knew it, it wouldn't be long before the cracks spread and they were faced with broken pillars and a falling empire.

...

They hitched a ride on Grizz's cruiser and borrowed some mercenary armour painted in the same colours as Aria's bodyguards; it would serve as a useful disguise in hopes of bypassing any Cerberus operatives. Aria was not aware of who among her guards - if any - were spies; the only one she could trust was Grizz, considering his loyalty over the years.

It was why she sent him to retrieve Seraphina and her team. Mordin had come to Omega on his own and was waiting on board the shuttle; he and EDI would hack into comm links and terminals in hopes of picking up chatter. If they managed to get any information as to a location, then Mordin and EDI could assess the situation and think of the best possible battle plan.

Grizz led them away from Afterlife and through the streets, up through an alley and they came to a door in a narrow corridor. A turian was on guard, he nodded once at Grizz. At the sight of the krogan and human in the uniform he frowned.

"When did Aria start hiring krogan and humans?" he asked.

"Aria had some problems recently with a human investor and a krogan merchant," Grizz quickly lied. "She's hoping having these two around will bring in more money."

He looked them both up and down, "They won't last five minutes," he sneered.

"Does it matter?" Grizz shrugged.

"Not really," the guard laughed and opened the door. "Aria's in her booth, drinking more than usual."

"It's been a hectic night," Grizz said.

They followed him inside and entered the VIP section of Afterlife. To get in was hard enough, one either needed an incredible amount of money or have friends in high places. Not many people even knew there was a VIP section or how to find it. The fact Aria had put herself in such a hard to reach place said a lot about the situation.

She couldn't risk being in the main part of the club, there everyone could see her, just about anyone could get in. Here though, a password was required to get in, unless you were a guard, and the private booths were heavily guarded.

Grizz took them to the private booths, located near-enough in the shadows of the club, a place where the music was almost muted and each booth was so separated from one another they were hardly noticeable. Aria sat there with several empty glasses, but she seemed quite sober.

After a couple hundred years many asari managed to harden their minds against the effect of alcohol, which seemed a shame, at a time when Aria most needed to forget the world and her troubles she couldn't even get drunk and wish the trouble away.

A spark entered her eyes at the sight of Seraphina and her team, and she seemed like the old Aria again. Try as she might, she couldn't hide the worry, and if Grizz had seen the data pad and its message then he may have understood.

"Sit, Shepard," she said. "The rest of you can wait outside."

"Wait a minute-" Garrus protested.

"It's okay," Seraphina calmly interrupted. "Wait outside and keep an eye out, there's no guarantee Cerberus hasn't found this place yet."

Garrus nodded, but didn't look happy. He and Wrex grudgingly left, followed by Grizz. Seraphina took a seat, choosing to sit on the other side of the booth. Aria liked her space, no point upsetting an already imbalanced woman.

"You're right about Cerberus," Aria said. "There are probably spies in here, but I couldn't refuse the people entry - it would have been too suspicious."

"Is the situation really that bad?" Seraphina asked. "Grizz made it sound like you can't even leave Afterlife."

"I can't," Aria said.

"It is because of Patriarch?" Seraphina asked.

"Patriarch is just a trophy," Aria replied. "He used to run Omega before I took over, if he died I'd be upset but no more than a child who's lost a pet."

"Then why call me in?" she demanded.

Aria fell silent for a moment and the silence unnerved Seraphina. The asari who usually had something to say had fallen quiet, Seraphina didn't like it. What was so bad that Aria was forced to rely on Spectre's when she was very capable of handling the situation herself?

Aria seemed to decide something, a difficult decision it appears, and said, "What I am about to tell you does not leave this booth, understand?"

Seraphina said nothing, merely nodded.

"I..." Aria sighed. "I have a daughter, Liselle. Cerberus threatened to kill her if I made a move against them."

Seraphina hid her shock as best as she could, she never thought someone like Aria had the potential to seriously consider a bond mate or even have that sort of parental nature. Yet here Aria was, putting her kingdom on hold in order to save her daughter's life.

"Sooner or later, Cerberus will kill me and her," Aria continued. "A few of my spies discovered that Cerberus is killing off my men and contacts, once they are all dead they'll come for me and Liselle."

"There's no guarantee they won't kill Liselle right now," Seraphina observed.

"I know," Aria said. "That's why I've come to ask my favour - save my daughter."

Seraphina had been so deeply involved in families lately, she had helped in breaking bonds and tearing apart families, yet here she had a chance to actually do good. She wasn't killing her best friend's mother or helping a Justicar murder her daughter, she was actually trying to save someone.

"I talked big in front of my men," Aria said quietly. "They don't know about Liselle, not even Grizz, so I pretended my only reason for bringing you here was because of Cerberus. But I need my favour returned, even if I'd rather save it."

"Then save it," Seraphina said.

"W-what?" Aria looked at her, confusion sweeping across her face.

"I'll save your daughter and your hold on Omega," Seraphina promised. "It's part of my job, favours have nothing to do with it."

Aria's face went devoid of any emotion, perhaps she was hiding her sense of gratitude, whatever she felt was quickly hidden by her loud laugh. She threw her head back and laughed loudly. Seraphina felt as though she missed the joke.

"Shepard, you are a unique human," she grinned. "Throwing yourself at my mercy willingly, only fools do that."

"Then call me a fool," Seraphina smiled. "But I'm tired of seeing families torn apart."

Aria smiled, "Go on then," she said. "Go save Omega, go save Liselle."

Seraphina stood and turned to leave.

"And Shepard?"

She stopped by the exit and turned her head ever so slightly to look at Aria.

"If anyone can stop Cerberus, it's you," Aria said. "So know this - when you finally decide to take the damned thing's head, I'll lend you my guns."

Seraphina hid her smile. Did Aria just say she was going to give Seraphina her men in the war against Cerberus? It seemed too good to be true, that kind of power was invaluable. But she didn't question her cryptic response; all she needed to be concerned about was saving Omega and the Pirate Queen's daughter.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_This, technically, is the team's eleventh assignment yet I'm already on Chapter 18 and with so many people subscribing it feels a like an accomplishment. Thanks for the support so far and I'd like to throw a question your way, just cause many of you are so responsive and I'd like to know about your experience.  
_

_I recently completed ME2 and one person died on my suicide mission - Jack somehow died during the beginning cut scene, not sure how, my ship had been given new shields and everything! - so I was wondering if any of you managed to get away with a full team, and if not, who died and did you really care or not?_


	20. Nineteenth Assignment

**Nineteenth Assignment**

Leaving the club Seraphina received a private message from Aria on her Omni tool, two address' one of which was simply labelled_ 'Liselle'_ and the other _'Cerberus Base_'. She met up with Garrus and Wrex, and Grizz led them to their shuttle where Mordin sat waiting.

"I'll leave you to do whatever you need to do," Grizz said. "But if you need anything, just ask."

"Thanks," Seraphina smiled. "But the only thing I need you to do is keep Aria safe."

"Will do," Grizz saluted and turned and left.

Garrus came to stand beside her, frowning slightly. "You're really pushing this friendship with Aria," he commented. "Any reason why?"

"Aria just promised to give us her men to take down Cerberus," Seraphina replied. "Do you know what that means? Aria has the Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack under her control, which means we can use them too."

"You want mercenaries to work for you?" Garrus asked.

"If I had the choice I'd have Alliance officers on my side," she said. "But if you haven't noticed we're not exactly spoiled for choice. As long as Cerberus hide their tracks and keep the Citadel believing that they are nothing more than a gang we'll need all the help we can get."

Garrus wanted to argue, there was probably a lot of other options to take into consideration. They had friends in quite a few places; did Seraphina ever stop to consider the quarian fleet that were now in their debt after preventing a potential war? What about the asari Justicar? Skills like that were hardly worth turning down.

What was Seraphina planning by using all these shady characters? Having such allies could seriously damage her reputation, she must have realized that.

If she kept her alliance secret, then she would have power in places no one within the Citadel did. But it was risky. He didn't like seeing her risk her career. If Anderson or the other Councillors found out she had put herself in Aria's debt then she could be court-martialled, drastic as it may sound, if anyone had ever discovered Spectre's were so easily controlled then it could damage the Councillor's credibility.

Did she hate Cerberus that much? Or was there some variable he hadn't taken into consideration?

Whatever her reasons, he decided now was not the time to question her. They had more important things to concentrate on at the moment, such as finding Aria's missing second-in-command and figuring out how they were going to get Cerberus off the planet.

They settled back in the shuttle and Seraphina explained the slight change of plan.

"You want Mordin to protect Aria's friend?" Wrex asked. "Why?"

"This woman, Liselle, is to become Aria's second-in-command if Patriarch dies," Seraphina quickly lied. "No one knows this, not even Grizz. It's why I had to speak to her alone."

"If Patriarch _and_ Liselle are killed then Aria has no one to leave her empire too, so if she's killed her men have no one to follow," Garrus concluded. "Meaning anyone could just take over."

Seraphina nodded.

She hated lying to her team, but what chose did she have? She needed to keep her relationship with Aria strong enough that she could call upon her men if she so needed to, if she told them who Liselle truly was and if the information got out, it would quickly be traced back to Seraphina and she would have no hope in hell of using her men.

She did have a plan, it was early in the work, but she knew that if this plan succeeded she would finally be rid of Cerberus - just not necessarily in the same condition she had once been.

"Aria also gave me the address of the base where her men were attacked," Seraphina brought up an image of the compound on her Omni tool. "The information she gave me includes the entry points of the building, but all that meant nothing to her men."

"How exactly did some of the toughest fighters on Omega get beaten?" Garrus pondered.

"Most, if not all the operatives, are biotics," Seraphina explained. "Her men couldn't be sure, but it's thought they are Vanguards."

"Not really a problem," Wrex remarked.

"Not for us, trained biotics, maybe," Seraphina said. "But unlike us who have training, or Garrus who has a few a neat tricks, Aria's men are just hired guns. They didn't stand a chance against people who can throw them across the room and lift them off the ground."

"So while Mordin takes care of Liselle the rest of us will go for the base," Garrus ordered. "If Wrex goes in through the main entrance as a distraction, I can sneak in through the vents and take up a sniper position somewhere high and pick them off." He pointed to a section of the building which was, presumably, the main office. "Whoever is in charge will be in here, probably with the Patriarch. So while we keep the grunts busy, Shepard can sneak in through the back and take out the ring leader."

"Sounds simple enough," Wrex said. "They won't be expecting an attack either, not from us anyway."

"We need to change back into our uniforms," Seraphina ordered. "If we go in wearing Aria's colours then they may kill Liselle and Patriarch. "

"Then we're going to need to be careful," Garrus said. "One wrong move and Omega belongs to Cerberus."

...

_Paradise, Luxury Apartment Block_

To many on Omega, 'luxury' could mean a cheap firearm that doesn't jam, but for those like Aria who could afford the best of on and off world goods, there was Paradise. Built far from Afterlife and every shady market nearby, Paradise was situated on its own near several heavy defence turrets. The only way to get in was through an automated system that recognized members of the building, deep background checks were run on guards and the cost of rent was enough to turn most away.

It was understandable why Aria would choose to put her child so far from danger.

With the information Aria gave them, Mordin was able to enter by showing a unique code to the dozen cameras situated in the area. Next came the tricky part, convincing Liselle her mother had sent Mordin. Aria was unable to even call her daughter, in case she warned Liselle of the danger she was in, and currently there was no one with Liselle.

Aria was unable to send out any guards and since Paradise was so far away, she had never seen the point of sending guards as Liselle had always been safe before. Aria regretted the decision now, but at the moment there was really no way to correct her mistake.

Mordin entered the beautiful building, its floors sleek and white and made from some rare stone. Arching pillars connected the painted ceiling to the wall, the receptionist was a VI - an advanced one at that - and the foyer was surprisingly quiet. Mordin addressed the VI, designed to resemble well-known hanar action hero Blasto.

The image of it brought a smirk to Mordin's face. Paradise really did go the extra mile.

"Hello," Mordin greeted. "I'm looking for Liselle."

"Liselle is in room 506, floor six," the VI replied. "Shall this one inform her of your presence?"

"Yes, tell her Aria sent a friend to keep her company," Mordin responded.

"This one shall," it said. "Enjoy your stay at Paradise."

Mordin made his way up to floor six and spent a moment searching for her room. It was situated near the end of the corridor, not far from the stairs. _Good._ If they needed to make a run for it the option was always there.

He knocked the door and a young asari answered, probably what many would have considered early-twenties, he could only imagine how many decades old she was. She was very unassuming, pretty but without the aura and the tattooed face her mother possessed.

No one would have thought this young woman was Aria's daughter.

"Hello," she smiled. "I never thought Aria would leave two guards."

"Two... guards?" Mordin repeated.

"Yes," she said.

She stepped aside and allowed Mordin to enter the lush apartment; he walked into the living room and was met by a salarian in the putrid yellow armour of Eclipse. He frowned at the sight of Mordin and went for his gun. Liselle entered the room and the salarian's hand fell to his side.

"You're wearing different armour," Liselle remarked.

"Ah, yes, I am not a biotic, you see," Mordin explained. "More of a scientist, Aria sent me here in case of injury."

"Why would I be injured?" she frowned in such a way she looked like her mother.

"Aria seriously doubts you would be injured with such an excellent guard on hand," Mordin quickly answered. "But in case of such an incident, I am here to heal you."

Liselle's frown softened slightly, her faith in Aria clear. She trusted Aria more than Mordin realized; he could use that to his advantage. She dropped the subject and went over to the TV, her attention drawn back to some soap opera. Mordin eyed the Eclipse merc, trying his best to act calm.

Things had just gotten complicated.

...

In the cover of darkness Wrex waited for the signal.

His shot gun at his side, he waited beneath a monorail's line and could vaguely make out the figure of Garrus moving towards the ventilation system. The vents were large enough for a turian to manoeuvre in and if he followed the map, he would make his way to the railings looking down from the factory floor and could then set up a nest along the rafters.

The building was old; parts of it were still wood and brick, one of Omega's much earlier buildings. It suited the needs of Cerberus perfectly, an abandoned warehouse in a forgotten part of town, and filled with biotics who can easily take out targets before there was time to call for back-up.

There were only two guards out front, a building full of biotics could allow for a minor slip in security. Wrex saw Garrus slide into the vent and dissapeared; he put on his helmet and looked up at the roof, spotting a shadow dart across the roof.

"Can you hear me, Seraph?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "The clarity of voice isn't as clear as a Death Mask, but I'm used to my Recon Hood."

"What about you, turian, can you hear me?" he said.

"Loud and clear," Garrus answered. "I'm nearing the end of the ventilation system now."

"Be sure you contact us when you re in position," Seraphina ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he teased.

She moved along the roof, showing a surprising light-foot as she made her way to the skylight. She approached it, crouching low as she set a small camera over the edge of the skylight and brought up the live feed on her hood. Inside she saw a small plain office and Patriarch, standing in the centre of the room. There were no guards, no seals or locks, he wasn't even tied down.

Something was wrong.

"Can you see Patriarch?" Wrex asked her.

"Yes, but..."

"But?"

"There's something wrong," she said. "He's just... standing there."

"What do you mean, standing there?" Garrus asked.

"He's not tied down and there are no guards," she answered. "Do you think... did Patriarch betray Aria?"

"We'll sort him out in a minute," Wrex intervened. "Are you in position, Garrus?"

"Have you noticed he only calls me by my name when he's annoyed?" Garrus smirked.

"Turian!" Wrex snapped.

"Never mind," Garrus chuckled. "And yes, I'm in position now."

"Ready, Seraph?" Wrex asked.

"Just waiting on you," she replied.

"Then let's kick some Cerberus ass!" Wrex roared.

He charged forwards, a shot gun in hand and let out a terrifying battle cry. The guards panicked at the sight of the charging krogan and stumbled with their weapons. They were too slow to get a bead, by the time their guns were raised the krogan had already blown a hole through their chest.

Inside he heard whispering, the rest of the operatives falling into position. Wrex kicked open the doors and fired a shot in the air, the Cerberus operatives lay in cover and aimed their weapons. There was too many operatives for him to count, meaning he was going to have quite a fight on his hand. The thought made him giddy, he loved a good fight.

An operative ducked out of cover and a moment later his head exploded from a shotgun round, the rest of the armed men fired and Wrex dived for cover. He looked up, trying to find Garrus in the shadows. He couldn't spot Garrus, but he saw the armed turian's work.

He would duck out of cover and fire a shot, and two bodies would fall to the floor. Garrus had a good shot, for a turian. If they kept up the pace, a shot gun victim there and a silent kill here, and the operatives would soon be taken care of.

But they weren't the priority, Patriarch and Liselle were. Wrex wondered how Seraph and Mordin were doing.

...

It was during the raging battle Seraphina took her opportunity, over the sound of bullets and a krogan's triumphant cries she opened the skylight and entered the small office. Patriarch quickly turned to her and aimed his firearm; even old krogan knew not to trust strangers.

"It's okay," Seraphina said. "We're here to save you, Aria sent us."

"Aria?" he said. "The foolish woman, doesn't she realize coming here will kill Liselle."

"She isn't here," Seraphina remarked. "We don't work for Aria, we're a separate unit come to take care of this gang. She isn't involved."

"Then why are you here to save me if these men are your concern?" Patriarch asked.

"We don't work for Aria but she shares her information with us," Seraphina answered. "She told us what happened and who you are."

Patriarch turned to the office window, looking down at the battle, trying to count how many operatives were down. Seraphina carefully watched the elder krogan and the gun in his hand. She understood his concern, if in fact he was kidnapped. But there was more to it, there was something off about the whole thing.

Something that left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Patriarch, did these men kidnap you?" she asked.

He didn't look at her.

"You're working _with_ them, aren't you?" she said.

Patriarch looked at her, and smiled. She went for her gun; he fired first and struck her shoulder. She fell to the ground, clutching her bleeding wound. He jumped her, pressing a boot to her throat and pushing down hard.

_Stupid, stupid!_ She growled. _I knew there was something wrong, so why didn't I draw my gun before?_

"Humans _are_ slow," he said. "I know Aria sent you, I'm not stupid."

Seraphina grunted, trying to push the heavy krogan off to no avail. She reached for the gun on her side, he fired a shot and the ground beside her head exploded in shards of debris. He grabbed her helmet and ripped it off, he looked it over once and then threw it aside.

"Unusual colouring for a human," he remarked.

She glared at him, "What now?" she gasped. "Are you going to kill Liselle yourself?"

"I have an operative at Liselle's apartment," Patriarch replied. "He'll kill her as soon as you and your men are taken care of."

_An operative at her apartment?_ Seraphina thought. _That means... Oh, no, Mordin!_

_...  
_

Mordin and the Eclipse merc traded looks, neither of them had actually moved or said a word since Liselle had taken a seat. Both of them were waiting for word, Mordin needed to hear that Patriarch was safe and the Eclipse merc needed to hear the words he had been waiting for since he entered the apartment nearly two hours ago.

_Kill her._

"Aria didn't mention anyone else coming," the merc said.

"Didn't want the information getting out," Mordin said. "If anyone knew all sorts would try to get in, passing themselves off as myself."

"I see," the merc said.

"Was wondering," Mordin began, "why Aria would use Eclipse merc. Own men seem more capable."

"Her own men are too close," the merc replied. "Besides, it's easier to make a merc... disappear."

Neither of them were budging, this merc knew how to lie and how to lie well, and under the facade of an employee of Aria it was easy to make lies such as _'She didn't want anyone to know'_ and _'It was kept secret'_ hold because Aria was all about secrets.

They would keep lying, keep up the ruse, until the order came and then things were going to turn ugly very soon. The question was who was going to get the order first?

...

Guns continued to blaze outside the office, bodies continued to fall, and pretty soon the operatives would realize there were two enemies firing at them. Chances are by then it would be too late. It would come to an end soon and Seraphina really didn't want that to happen.

As long as there was a threat outside this office Patriarch wasn't going to give any orders, the enemy needed to be eliminated first. Seraphina really didn't want Garrus and Wrex in danger for too long, but she needed a moment to gather her energy.

Patriarch was more focused on the battle outside, his gun was still trained on her, but it was lazy aiming. Still, she couldn't risk him firing at her, especially considering her helmet was on the other side of the room. Not that she trusted her helmet to be capable of protecting her at such short range; his little weapon was enough to blast a hole in her shoulder.

She couldn't throw him; it was out of the question, so the only thing left was...

"Your krogan fights well," Patriarch observed. "He reminds me of myself in my younger days."

"Wrex is nothing like you," she hissed.

"Wrex?" he repeated. "As in Urdnot Wrex?"

She glared in reply.

"I've heard much about Urdnot Wrex," Patriarch said. "The krantt of Clan Urdnot's leader, he's got quite a reputation and if all pans out he's going to rule Clan Urdnot."

"W-what?" she grunted.

"You didn't know?" Patriarch said. "The leader of Clan Urdnot is supposed to have said _'I shall not fall to just **any** krogan, if I am to fall it will be at the feet of Urdnot Wrex'._ In other words, if Wrex kills him Wrex will rule Urdnot."

A smile split across the old krogan's face, "Killing someone like that will secure my place back in the eyes of the Clan Leaders."

Now she was mad.

No one threatened her krogan, especially not an old krogan on his last legs searching for glory. She outstretched her hand, her body glowing with the familiar warm energy. No one threatened Wrex, no one. Her body continued to tingle from the nodules buried in her tissue, but something was different.

The biotic energy that swarmed around her like a misty aura was different, it wasn't blue... it was _red_. Her arm began to burn, singing her flesh like it was on fire, and she cried out in pain. Patriarch turned to her, stepping back from the red mist, but a second too late. She fired a blast of red biotic energy that knocked Patriarch through the office wall; she watched as he flew across the warehouse and hit the wall, falling to the ground with a loud crunch that sounded like a few broken bones.

Seraphina sat up, staring at her hands as the red power continued to burn, but slowly began to weaken until it was just like the cool warmth from before. She hardly noticed the pulsating red glow in her eyes or that several veins in her face had become painfully clear and red.

"What... the hell?" she gasped.

Outside the sound of gun fire had ceased, through whether from Patriarch's sudden appearance or because Wrex and Garrus had won she didn't know. Slowly, the red mist began to fade as she took control of her biotic ability and forced it back inside of her. The glow in her eye vanished and her face returned to normal, though there was a prickly sensation running along her limbs.

She slowly got to her feet and picked up her discarded helmet, she peered out the hole she had created and saw each of Cerberus' operatives dead on the ground. Garrus had descended from his hiding place and had forced Patriarch's hands behind his back and cuffed them. She joined them on the warehouse floor and Wrex gave her a careful look over.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded shakily, "Fine," she answered. "Just don't kill Patriarch, Aria will want him alive."

"Don't worry about that," Wrex said. "As soon as I saw Patriarch fly through the office I called her, she's on her way with her men."

"Has anyone called Mordin?" Seraphina asked.

"Yes," Garrus replied. "He's handled the situation and Liselle is safe."

He dragged Patriarch over and dumped him on the floor. The krogan's face was bleeding terribly and his one leg stuck out at a strange angle, he looked at Seraphina with what looked like fear. The feeling was mutual. Her biotic powers had never acted in such a way before, she had always had such perfect control, even from an early age when she first began to develop them there had never been any sign of such a unusual spike in energy.

She would have to have Mordin take a look at her.

They needed to wait only several minutes for Aria, as she arrived quickly and with many men. Though Grizz was not with her, Seraphina suspected Aria had decided to put a little trust in him and sent him to see Liselle and clean up the mess.

"Patriarch, I should have known," Aria sighed. "Really, I should have known that you were responsible. Who else knew about Liselle?"

"I remembered her from when you first came to Omega," Patriarch spat. "She was just a little girl then."

"I'd ask why you did this, but it's fairly obvious why," Aria looked at her men and one of them handed her a large pistol. "Once a king is dethroned and offered a high ranking position within the new empire; he doesn't turn down such an auspicious offer. You had it good, Patriarch. You didn't even need to do anything."

"That's what I hated most," he answered. "I was nothing more than a title, a pet for you to show off. I wanted some of my old power, I wanted a krantt."

"Well, too bad for you," Aria loaded the gun. "Maybe if you had said, things would have been different."

"Really?" he said.

Aria smiled, "No."

She fired a single shot, right between the krogan's eyes. Wrex grimaced slightly at the sound of the shot and took a step back to avoid the splatter of blood. The corpse fell forwards at Aria's feet; she didn't even glance at it as she set about ordering her men.

"Get rid of this body and the bodies of his men," she ordered. "I want this place spotless."

They obediently went to work and Seraphina had to commend Aria for her total control over her men, if only her second-in-command had been a bit more obliging.

"As for you," Aria turned to them. "I don't say thank you, but you know the terms of your agreement."

"I do," Seraphina replied. "And I appreciate your offer, I'll be sure to see you through on your word."

"Good luck on your mission, Shepard," Aria said. "Hopefully I'll see you again."

Seraphina didn't reply, she just turned away and wished to be as far away from the warehouse and Omega as possible. They returned to the shuttle and found Mordin waiting, a slight blood stain on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

She sat between Wrex and Garrus, both of them looking a little tired. It had been a long day; they were all a little tired, even if they wouldn't admit it. Seraphina looked down at her hand, thinking back to that powerful blast and burning heat.

_What's happening to me?_

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_OMG, such a long chapter! I worked extra hard on this one, trying to fit in as much as possible in time for the next two-partner. So please review and if you can, take time to read my long conclusion:_

_* I have never read Mass Effect: Retribution (the novel in which Liselle appears) that's why my description of Liselle is probably different to what is written, but as it is an AU it probably doesn't matter but I thought I'd just clear that up._

_* I also recently discovered through my play through of ME3 that Councillor Valern is male, not female like she is in my story, so whoops!_

_* Again I'd like to ask you all a question - is calling my Shepard by her first name strange? All of the other ME fanfics I've seen always call her/him Shepard and keep it somewhat informal, but honestly I like having my Shepard with a bit more character. What do you think?_


	21. Twentieth Assignment

**Twentieth Assignment**

_Somewhere in Space_

The sun pulsed and burnt, a soothing blue had taken over its surface and within the centre it burnt orange. It was magnificent, nature's raw power and he could see it all from his office. There was nothing but his chair and a few automated terminals that appeared at a calling, but other than that there was nothing but him and the sun.

It felt almost like he could reach and hold the blue orb in his hand, a blue of similar texture to his eyes. He sat there and outstretched his hand, angling just right so it looked as though the sphere sat in his palm. He allowed a small smile to pass his face.

Someone entered the large and dark chamber, the smile left his face and he lowered his head, instead picking up an un-lit cigarette that lay in an ash tray. The operative stopped just to the side of his leader, close enough to speak, but not as so close that he was within the man's eyesight.

"Something to report, Kai Leng?" he asked.

"I told you before how I felt about the Shadow Alliance," Kai Leng replied. "I want them disbanded."

"Yes, I do recall you saying something along those lines when you went to collect Shepard's blood from Knossos," the Illusive Man replied.

"That woman," Kai Leng turned away in disgust. "What is the Shadow Alliance's fascination with her? She's just like any other human."

The Illusive Man said nothing.

He lit his cigarette and put the thing in his mouth, taking a deep drag before releasing a puff of grey smoke. Kai Leng turned back to his leader, sensing something amiss. It wasn't like the Illusive Man not to answer any question directed at him.

"She is only human, isn't she?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," the Illusive Man replied. "She is human, but the Shadow Alliance is interested in her nonetheless."

"Why?" Kai Leng questioned. "It doesn't make any sense; she's just like any other human biotic."

"The Shadow Alliance doesn't seem to think so," he observed. "They see a... _potential_ in her that I do not. However, if they keep this up my hand will be forced."

"You think they're messing with alien DNA again?" Kai Leng inquired.

"I... can't be sure," he answered. "Find Giriko and bring him here, stop whatever operation he's running while you're at it. I don't want him continuing with anything until I know all the facts."

"And if he refuses to cooperate?" Kai Leng said.

Illusive Man took another puff, "You know what to do."

Kai Leng nodded obediently and left his master to sit and imagine the sun in his hand.

...

_The Citadel_

If there was one thing Wrex hated most about the Citadel, it was the shops. He had no problems with Kanala Exports or Elkoss Combine Arsenal Supplies; in fact, he had a discount there because of how frequently he shopped there. But when it came to buying gifts, that's when the krogan ran into a snag. The only place he knew that sold anything like flowers and books was the store in Huerta Memorial Hospital, and that's when Wrex came across his second problem.

What do you get a Spectre for an anniversary present?

Wrex had never really been good with keeping track of time, but he knew that nearly ten months had passed since he became a member of Operation Cobra, meaning that he and Seraph had to be together for at least four or five months.

If only he knew what to get her.

He left the Commons and headed up to the apartments, deciding to ask the person who knew her better than anyone. He knocked at the door and Liara was quick to answer, at the sight of Wrex she seemed slightly downhearted.

"Expecting someone?" Wrex said.

"Yes, I thought it was... never mind," Liara shook her head. "Can I help you?"

"Judging by your reaction Seraph never told you about me," Wrex replied.

"I haven't spoken to her since..." Liara fell silent.

"I know," Wrex said. "She told me about what happened. She's been waiting for you to talk to her."

"Waiting for me?" Liara repeated. "Why?"

"She... didn't want to push you," Wrex answered. "She was worried that you were still upset so..."

Liara sighed lightly and a small smile came across her face, "I see," she said. "I thought Seraphina was avoiding me, if only I had known sooner. Is that why you're here?"

"Kind of," Wrex said. "You see, Seraph and I are... together, we have been for a while. So I wanted to get her something... I just don't know what."

Liara's smile grew, "So the rumours about a krogan dating a human were true," she said. "I should have known it was Seraphina, she always had a taste for the... _unusual."_

Wrex frowned, unsure as to whether he had been insulted or complimented.

"Anyway, if you want to get her the right present," Liara continued. "I know exactly what she would want..."

...

Wrex returned to Seraphina's apartment, a boxed gift in one hand and some more of the infamous Gargle Blaster in the other. He decided that soon he was going to ask Seraph to move in with her, considering the fact he was almost always at her apartment anyway it didn't seem like such a big chance to their schedule. He placed the gift and bottle on the bar and called her name, but got no response.

He searched her apartment, but still found no trace of his human lover. Seraphina hadn't been called out to any missions recently and now that he actually stopped to think, he hadn't seen her in a few days. He left the apartment and decided to search for her, when his Omni-tool lit up with an incoming call from EDI. He checked to make sure the corridor was empty and then answered.

"Your assistance is required on a new mission," EDI informed him. "Would you happen to have Shepard with you?"

"No," Wrex answered. "I haven't seen her in a few days... I'm starting to worry."

"The last person to see her was Doctor Solus," EDI said. "His presence on this mission is necessary as no one has been able to get in contact with her this last week. If you wish you may question him, now would be the time."

Wrex grunted in response and stormed over to the shuttle.

Mordin and Garrus were already inside the shuttle, the salarian had an uncharacteristic look of grief on his face. Garrus didn't greet Wrex with a casual snipe or even a normal _'hello'_. He just stood there, looking very annoyed.

Now Wrex was worried.

"What happened?" he asked. "Where is Seraphina?"

Wrex spoke calmly, a bad sign for anyone who knew a krogan well. Whatever Wrex was feeling, he was hiding it well, but a krogan could only bottle up so much emotion. If he didn't get his answers soon then the situation was going to turn very ugly very quickly.

"I won't ask again!" Wrex growled. "What happened?"

Mordin coughed uncomfortably into his fist, drawing the angered krogan's attention towards him. Not something one does without good reason.

"I... can't be sure as to what happened," Mordin said. "But..."

"But?" Wrex said.

"About a week ago, after returning from Omega, Shepard came to see me," Mordin explained. "Her biotic powers had... acted up."

"When? She seemed fine to me," Wrex said.

"It was during her fight with Patriarch," Garrus answered. "Apparently when she knocked him through that wall her biotic powers had... changed."

"Changed how?" Wrex asked.

"Shepard said her aura changed colour and the sensation of power was different also," Mordin replied. "I investigated and discovered a... anomaly."

Wrex didn't ask any further questions, he just wanted Mordin to explain as clearly and quickly as possible. Mordin brought up an image on his Omni-tool, a model of the human body, with each of the muscles and veins visible along with many areas along the arms and brain circled in red. Wrex quickly realized it was a scan of Seraphina's body.

"Biotics seeking to wield their abilities on a usable level are fitted with an electronic brain implant during puberty," Mordin continued. "But as can see, Shepard has them in her arms also. Do not recognize these implants. Couldn't track down a manufacture, Shepard may have, would explain disappearance."

"What sort of effect would implants in the arm have?" Garrus asked.

"The implants in our brains help us to focus the energy," Wrex explained. "With implants in her arms she doesn't need to waste energy focusing her attacks and the element zero is already there, so it means she has nearly twice the amount of biotic power on reserve."

"Shepard said she became enraged and this is what triggered the change," Mordin said. "Anderson is aware of Shepard's disappearance, he's looking into it."

"So we continue with the mission while my human is missing?" Wrex snarled. "No way!"

"We don't have a choice," Garrus retorted. "If we allow this Cerberus base to remain in operation Shepard would never forgive us, besides what do you think Shepard will do if she finds out you abandoned the mission?"

"She's missing," Wrex insisted.

"We don't know that," Garrus pointed out. "The fact she didn't tell anyone where she went suggests she's gone off radar, she's investigating something dangerous and she didn't want to involve anyone."

Wrex still wouldn't budge, Garrus could tell by the way the krogan seemed to force his weight onto his legs and crossed his arms. Physically, he wouldn't - _and couldn't_ - be moved, and Garrus doubted he could move the krogan even if he wanted too.

"She wouldn't want you to look for her when there's a Cerberus base waiting to be taken down," Garrus said calmly. "She would want you to kill every Cerberus operative."

Mordin glanced at Wrex, frowning slightly. "Perhaps Wrex is not mad at Shepard's disappearance," he said. "Perhaps Wrex is mad... because she didn't tell him what was wrong."

Wrex glared at Mordin, and proved the salarians point.

"You can sort your relationship issues once we deal with this base," Garrus said. "If not, we'll have to leave you here and you can explain to Shepard why you were of no use."

The krogan's hands curled into fists and he trembled slightly, but he didn't raise them. No matter what he said, Garrus was right. The mission came first and Seraphina chose to leave and not tell anyone. When she came back, _if_ she came back, Wrex had a few things to say to her.

...

_En Route_

Eventually Wrex calmed down and took a seat. EDI activated the shuttle and took them to their new assignment. Details about the mission were sketchy at best, information was still coming in. All they knew was that it was Cerberus research base in the Herschel System.

"Any idea about what research is being conducted on this base?" Garrus asked.

"At the moment all I know is that the Cerberus research base is on the planet Tungel," EDI responded. "It is a mineralogical treasure trove with many corporations lobbying for mining rights, but so far no one has attainted these rights."

"Meaning it's perfect for a Cerberus base," Garrus said. "No population, plenty of minerals to mine in order to make some extra credits."

"But what are they going there?" Wrex asked.

"I can't access the site's data base to be sure," EDI replied. "From what I know from reports, the research is focused heavily on genetic research and DNA manipulation."

"Then expect plenty of illegal experiments," Garrus said. "What are our orders if we come across any survivors or experiments?"

"Depending on the condition of the subject, then rescue or euthanasia are the options," EDI answered.

"Harsh, but understandable," Mordin agreed. "Would be best if I remain in the shuttle and prepare emergency aid for any survivors."

"I'll dock the shuttle close by then," EDI said, "to lessen the strain on injured patients."

They approached Tungel and the base came up on their sensors, EDI ran a scan of the building and its defences. A red light appeared on the radar.

"Something wrong?" Wrex asked.

"The shuttle bay doors have been opened," EDI informed them. "We have been allowed entry into the base."

"Why? We're the enemy," Garrus said. "Or do they not recognize Spectre colours?"

"Possibly the person who opened the shuttle doors is also our informant," EDI replied.

"Wait, informant?" Wrex said. "You didn't mention an informant."

"For the safety of the informant we were not allowed to divulge information," EDI answered. "We received a coded transmission roughly twelve hours ago, once decoded we became aware of this base."

"Then let's just hope I don't accidentally shoot this informant," Wrex grunted.

EDI brought the shuttle down and they landed in a fairly small shuttle bay, it may have been constructed for shuttles but it was filled with crates and animal cages and there was not a single ship in site. Garrus and Wrex left the shuttle and took an elevator up to the first floor. The first floor was filled with several large offices, each of which appeared to specialise in a particular field of genetics and mutation. Each office was empty, though the terminals were still running. It appeared as though the workers had been evacuated with no time to gather their work.

Wrex inspected a data pad, finding an audio log. He pressed PLAY.

_"The experiments are running smoothly, it took some for the younger workers to get used to manipulating turian DNA but they are confident enough to strip the double helix and replicate the necessary proteins."_

"Why would Cerberus be messing with turian DNA?" Garrus wondered.

They moved on, checking the terminals but were unable to bypass the locking system. They came to what appeared to be the main office and this time found another audio log and a list of subjects, marked simply as **SUBJECT A1** or **B1**. There appeared to be a difference between A and B subjects, if only they knew what they could get a better understanding of the whole operation.

Wrex played the audio log as Garrus explored a cabinet filled with DNA samples.

_"Just got word from High Command, Professor Chondria has been replaced as leader of the project. Instead that sociopath Giriko has been put in charge. Whoever decided that was a good idea must be insane, worse still, he had a look at our work and threw out all our research notes and brought in a new team. I don't like it, I want to talk with who's in charge but no one seems to know who even runs our organization."_

"EDI, I need you to run any matches on the name Giriko," Garrus ordered.

"There are several possible matches for the name _'Giriko'_," EDI responded a moment later. "The most likely of these is Doctor Senn Giriko, a human ex-Alliance doctor who was banned from the medical society after his research into genetic engineering proved to be unethical."

"That explains all these DNA samples," Garrus remarked as he picked up a vial marked BATARIAN. "But why would Cerberus be interested in genetic engineering?"

"Garrus, look at this," Wrex tossed him the data pad. "The top corner of the file, you see that logo?"

It was the letter A held at such an angle it threw back a shadow that spelled S, it wasn't the Cerberus logo.

"This must be one of Cerberus' sub-divisions," Wrex said.

"Meaning that whatever is happening here, Cerberus may not be aware of it," Garrus said.

Wrex nodded.

"We better find this informant and check for survivors," Garrus said. "I want to know a little more about this place."

Wrex suddenly fired a shot, shattering the office window.

"What the hell are you doing?" Garrus cried.

"Didn't you see that?" Wrex said.

"See what?" Garrus snapped.

Wrex ran out of the office and Garrus followed, just in time to see the elevator doors close.

"I don't know what it was," Wrex said. "But it's not something I've ever seen before."

Garrus frowned.

They took the stairs and arrived on the second floor, coming to something that brought to mind a zoo. Each wall held a square chamber, big enough to keep four elcor and still have room, with a sheet of hard clear material as a cell door and a complicated computerized lock.

Inside were creatures neither of them had ever seen before, humanoid creatures of pale grey flesh and seemed to be created from cybernetic materials. Another was made from three of the pale creatures fused together with a weapon for an arm, and the largest of the monster's was made from both krogan and turian bodies fused together into an ugly mess.

"What... are these things?" Garrus gasped.

"You seeing this, salarian?" Wrex asked.

"Yes," Mordin replied. "Can see from the cameras on your armour."

"Any idea what they are?" Garrus asked.

"Will need research notes to determine origin," Mordin answered.

Wrex thought he spotted something up ahead, he took a cautious step forwards and raised his weapon.

"Then we'll get you some," Garrus said. "But I can't guarantee a living specimen. These things, whatever they are, I doubt there's a shred of who they were left. The humane thing would be to - Wrex, what are you doing?"

Wrex said nothing, merely pointed ahead where the corridor split into a T shape. To the left, Garrus could make out a shape, hovering around the corner. Garrus reached for his small firearm.

"Wrex, don't get too close," he ordered. "We don't want to scare it."

Wrex stopped a metre away.

"Come out," Garrus said. "We won't hurt you, come out."

The thing looked at them with red human-like eyes, and slowly took a step forwards. It stopped once at the sight of the krogan, Wrex lowered his gun slightly, and it took another step forwards, revealing its strange face.

It had the face of a turian with arms and legs to match, the nose structure of a salarian, but the eyes of a human and fleshly lumps on the chest that were shaped similarly to breast's - but there was no other indication of gender, almost like someone hadn't finished it. There were crests on its head and plates along its body that were reminiscent of a krogan. The only thing none of them could place were its hands, with three talons and little claw and a thing membrane between each finger. As it came a little closer they saw its skin was of a similar tone to Wrex.

"This one is different to the ones in the cages," Garrus observed.

"But what is it?" Wrex said.

The creature made a clicking noise and something that could only be described as a _'berr'_ noise. It seemed to smile and took a step forwards. Wrex raised his gun.

"Don't!" Garrus ordered. "Don't shoot it!"

"It takes another step forwards..." Wrex threatened.

"Wrex, don't-"

The air suddenly grew very hot and a biotic barrier appeared in front of the creature, it stared at the barrier with a curious expression and made another clicking noise. Wrex frowned at the sight of the red barrier.

"That barrier!" Mordin cried. "Just like-"

From the other end of the corridor appeared someone in armour, armour neither of them recognized. The armour appeared flesh-like and the helmet was oddly shaped, the eyes humming with a faint yellow glow. The figure stood beside the creature and lowered the barrier, the person looked to the creature and it clicked sadly. It looked ashamed.

"Who are you?" Garrus asked.

She chuckled, as if in amusement, and removed the helmet, passing it the creature who looked it over in fascination. Wrex almost dropped his gun at the sight of Seraphina.

"Shepard?" Garrus gasped. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"It's organic armour developed by the Shadow Alliance," Seraphina replied. "You know the Prothean War with the Reapers? Well, they left behind a lot of interesting tools, such as the materials necessary to create this_ 'Collector Armour'_ and these creatures."

"You go looking for whoever created your biotic implants and you end up here?" Wrex said.

"Mordin told you?" she said.

"Of course!" Wrex said. "No one knew where you were! I thought you were just on a mission, Liara thought you were avoiding her. Anderson thinks you're missing!"

"I'm not the only one who keeps secrets," Seraphina remarked.

"What?" Wrex frowned.

"You never told me about becoming the clan leader of Urdnot!" Seraphina retorted.

"That was before!" Wrex cried. "Before I became a Spectre and all this happened!"

"But have your plans changed?" she asked. "Are you still going to do it?"

"Now's not the time to discuss this," Wrex replied.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said.

"Why are you making it such a big deal?" Wrex asked. "When I become ruler of Clan Urdnot I'm going to reshape the krogan way of life! You should be happy."

"I am," she said. "I really am. I just wish you told me, that way we could have worked something out."

"Worked what out?" he said.

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head. "What matters is getting Tungel out of here and destroying this place."

_"Tungel?"_ Garrus repeated.

"Yes, Tungel," Seraphina smiled. "I found her when I came to investigate this base, she's... it's a little hard to explain."

A crackling interrupted their reunion and a voice came over the loud speakers. Tungel trembled, her body physically shaking at the sound of the voice and she clutched Seraphina's arm so tightly they heard the armour groan from the pressure.

"What's to explain, Shepard? Tungel is the genetic love-child of your DNA! I'll admit it was a little tricky, fusing krogan and turian was easy, but fitting the human in was a little harder."

"What? Who is that?" Wrex demanded.

"You know who I am, I'm Doctor Senn Giriko," he introduced. "I've been following you since you arrived. Naughty Shepard, opening the doors for them."

"You're Giriko?" Garrus said. "What the hell are you doing to these people?"

"As Shepard mentioned, the Prothean/Reaper War resulted in the death of both races," Giriko answered. "However, they left behind many interesting artefacts, my favourite of which I have come to call _'dragon's teeth'_."

"And what exactly are they?" Wrex asked.

"Oh, nothing other than huge spikes that I use to turn human corpses - and unfortunate living victims - into husks," Giriko replied. "From the Reaper's I also learned to create the brutes and scion. I planned on creating an interesting little creature known as a banshee - if I hadn't been forced to shut down this facility and see my darling boss."

"Your boss doesn't approve of torturing humans?" Seraphina growled.

"The Illusive Man doesn't approve of mixing human and alien DNA," Giriko corrected. "Or using butchered aliens in our combat. Not that it matters now, I have all the notes I need and these creatures have served their purpose, so if you don't mind would you take care of these creatures?"

An alarm began to ring and a red light flooded the chamber, the doors of the cells began to slowly ascend and the creatures inside stirred. Seraphina took her helmet off Tungel and pushed her towards the elevator, Wrex and Garrus covered her exit.

"Take... _Tungel_ and find Mordin," Wrex ordered.

"I'm not going to leave you to fight these creatures," she protested. "Besides, I know where the emergency self-destruct is."

"This place comes with one of those?" Garrus asked.

"The guards insisted it be installed in case something like this happened," she answered.

"And where are they now?" Garrus asked.

She pointed to the husks, "You're looking at them."

"Then go," Wrex said. "Blow this place to hell!"

"One of you hold this floor and another take the next," she ordered. "There are other creatures a floor above, if they make it down here..."

"Don't worry," Garrus said. "I'll take care of this floor, you and Wrex just go!"

Wrex looked to the monsters that were slipping out of their cells and growling in anticipating at the sight of fresh blood. He gave the turian a reassuring tap on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Garrus," he said. "You better make it back alive."

"I can't promise you that," Garrus grimaced.

Seraphina grabbed Tungel's arm and ran for the elevator, slowly followed by Wrex. They quickly climbed inside the elevator, hitting the button. The doors closed, agonizingly slow, just as they did they saw a swarm of terrifying monster's descend onto their friend.

_"You better make it back alive."_

_"I can't promise you that."_

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Please review if you liked, I haven't had a lot of reviews recently and I'd like to hear what you think of the story so far and its development. If I get enough positive feedback then I will definatetly go ahead with my Garrus sequel,** 'The Shadow Alliance'.**_


	22. TwentyFirst Assignment

**Twenty-First Assignment**

"So are we going to talk?"

Seraphina turned to Wrex, Tungel's grip on her arm as vice-like as it was the moment they stepped into the elevator and effectively abandoned Garrus. A part of her believed he was already dead, but she refused to listen, Garrus was better than that. He wouldn't fall to an army of makeshift monsters.

"Is now really the time?" she said.

"Better time than any," he remarked. "I don't think Garrus is dead, but I don't like our chances either. We didn't bring enough ammo; we didn't expect this kind of fight."

"So you want to get everything off our chest in case we die?" she rolled her eyes. "Smooth, Wrex, real smooth."

"It's not my fault," Wrex retorted. "You was the one who dissapeared."

"I don't know if you remember, but there are implants in my arms and brain that a doctor couldn't identify!" she snapped. "Finding out who put them in me was more important than getting into a fight with you."

"It wouldn't have turned into a fight," Wrex argued. "I had everything worked out!"

"Really?" she questioned. "Worked out? What exactly did you work out, Wrex?"

"I kill Clan Urdnot's leader and takeover," Wrex answered. "And you... would come with me."

"To Tuchanka?" she said.

He nodded.

"You would... take me to Tuchanka?" she said.

"Be part of my krantt, help me rule Urdnot and the krogan," Wrex answered.

"I'm sure the krogan would love that," she said. "A krogan leader with a human girlfriend."

"The plan is still in development," Wrex admitted. "There are things to work out, but I don't want to choose between you and them."

"And I'd never make you do that!" she cried.

Seraphina fell into a paused silence, the elevator continued on its slow descent down and the elevator doors opened. She turned to Tungel and pointed to the shuttle where Mordin stood waiting.

"Wait with Mordin," she ordered. "I'll come back for you."

Tungel seemed hesitant, but after a reassuring squeeze on the arm she hesitantly left and joined Mordin. Seraphina pushed the elevator's button and they went back up.

"You need to initiate the self-destruct," Wrex reminded her. "It'll be on the bottom floor, right? The explosion would take out the building better that way."

"Cerberus," she said suddenly.

"What?" he frowned.

"The implants in my body came from Cerberus," she replied.

He fell silent.

"That's why I didn't ask for help," she said. "When Mordin couldn't identify the implants, I went to find my doctor - the one who put the implants in me. When I questioned her, she told the truth. I had been part of a Cerberus plan to strengthen human biotic abilities. Of the thirty children given the implants, only one survived... _me_. The other children weren't strong enough to control the power or died during the surgery. I wanted to find out why they worked for me and not for others and if there were other children with them today."

"You should have said something!" Wrex said. "I don't care where those implants came from. I would have helped you break some skulls."

"I know you would have," she smiled. "That's why I couldn't bring you. I needed to be... not seen. That's why I picked up the Collector Armour, it made it harder to identify me and-"

"You could have at least called," Wrex mumbled.

Seraphina laughed, she just couldn't help it. Just that one sentence. Wrex didn't care that she had Cerberus implants in her, he didn't care that she was tracking down operatives or that she had saved Tungel, a creature that had a few questions of her own to answer. The only thing he cared about was not being told what she was up too.

"Okay," she chuckled. "I get it, next time I go hunting Cerberus I'll call first."

He planted a kiss on her forehead and said, "Good."

The elevator stopped with a ping and the doors opened onto a darkened corridor, unnatural sounds echoing along its empty walls and rooms. Wrex grabbed his shotgun and loaded a shot. He turned to her, not sure what to say. The situation looked bad - low ammo with a small army of monsters, their priority to defend the shuttle. It looked pretty grim, but he couldn't admit it.

"You better make it back, Wrex," she said. "I'm not setting off that bomb until you and Garrus make it back to the shuttle. I want you to push back the enemy, not clear the area."

"That I can do," Wrex took a step into the darkness and his body began to glow with a biotic aura. He didn't look back as the elevator doors closed and the growls and sounds grew louder. He would see Seraph again, no point treating the mission like anything else.

...

Garrus gasped loudly, clutching his side and feeling the puncture in his armour. He heard a hiss and went still, the sound passed and he released a sigh. It had been a close call, if not for his Concussive Shot he wouldn't have been able to escape.

There were too many enemies for him, one husk got too close and almost tore open his stomach, but thankfully the armour took most of the damage. He managed to take out most of the husks, but the brutes were a little trickier. Confusing them with a Concussive Shot - and taking out a husk or two at the same time - gave him time to Overload the lights and give him a chance to escape through the swarm and take cover in the security office at the end of the corridor.

The security system had been taken offline, no doubt by Giriko when he made his escape, but the office itself was enough cover for now. The brutes, five in total, were investigating the area, as long as Garrus didn't give them any cause to check out the office he was fine for the time being.

He checked his wound again and brought out some Medi-gel, applying it to his wound. A moment later relief flooded through him and the pain subsided, gradually the wound began to close and he was able to stand. Now he just needed to figure his way out.

He counted eight husks and five brute's, the floor was made specifically to house these monsters and nothing more. So there had to be a way to seal them in. Garrus looked at the security terminal; perhaps there was a way to close off this floor. His hacking skills were poor, but he doubted this terminal to have such a heavy defence system.

He removed the security panel and opened his Omni-tool, hacking through the firewall and switching on the terminals. He needed to work fast, the light from the terminals would attract attention soon enough. He looked through the files, searching for some kind of security code or lock-down sequence.

He passed through files and data, and found the security feed. Surveillance was still working? Of course it was, Giriko wouldn't want to miss such a show and couldn't risk not knowing what the situation was. Garrus downloaded the code for the surveillance and then uncovered the lock-down sequence.

It could be activated on both floors, but only manual. Wrex would have to shut down his own floor and find a way out. It should be enough to keep them locked in until Seraphina found the detonation code. Garrus peered through the office window, there was only one exit and that was the elevator. Unless...

_The ventilation system._

The vents ran through each of these floors, he could use them to get back to the shuttle. _Or get to Giriko._ Garrus spotted the vent's opening beneath the office desk and tore it off, climbing into the dark passage way and sealed it back up behind him.

"First on Omega and now here..." he muttered. "I'm getting tired of vents."

Garrus opened the sequence and initiated lock-down, an emergency light flooded the corridor and the elevator's control panel turned bright red as the words **EMERGENCY** flashed on screen. He began to crawl and called Wrex and Seraphina.

"What's the situation?" he asked.

"The detonation sequence is locked down tight," she replied. "Giriko set up a dozen firewalls and is trying to keep me out, I'm getting through them, but it's taking time."

"And you, Wrex?" he said.

"These brutes are nothing!" Wrex laughed. "There's a lot of them, but I'll be able to handle them for now."

"Wrex, pull out," Garrus ordered. "I have the lock-down sequence, use it and escape back to the shuttle."

"Garrus, where are you?" Seraphina asked. "According to my map you're going the wrong way."

"I... I'm going to find Giriko," Garrus slowly replied.

"What? Why?" Wrex said. "That wasn't the mission, turian!"

"I can't just let Giriko go!" Garrus snapped. "Look at what he did to these innocent turian and krogan! He has to be stopped! You said so yourself, _Commander,_ you're not going to break through those firewalls any time soon. I have time."

"You have ten minutes," she said.

"Seraph, you can't be serious!" Wrex cried.

"You have ten minutes to find Giriko and get back," Seraphina ordered. "I'm going to blow up this base, whether you're inside or not!"

"Don't worry, Commander," Garrus smirked. "I'll be back before you know it."

...

Tungel stood outside the shuttle, waiting for Seraphina to return. Mordin had tried to coax her back inside and calm her, but with very little luck. She wouldn't listen, she would just look at him and click her mandibles and continue to watch her post.

He decided to take advantage of the situation and ran a scan on her body, trying to figure out how someone like Giriko had managed to create such a unique specimen. Three sets of DNA in such harmony and, more than that, the DNA of his allies combined. It was an incredible piece of science, but judging from the scan, Tungel wasn't complete.

He had assumed that by the fact she in fact had no specific gender, the lumps on her chest served no real purpose other than being shaped like breasts. Giriko must not have finished her or had no intention of doing so, she was the prototype, the model to show off to whoever had invested in his mad scientist routine.

Her intelligence seemed low also, but Mordin suspected that was only temporary. A scan of her brain showed a great potential and a vast memory, at the moment she showed no real verbal ability or obvious intelligence, but it seemed she would learn over time.

"Shepard will be fine," Mordin assured her, "as will Vakarian and Urdnot."

Tungel made a series of short, sharp clicks and seemed to smile, almost as if she agreed with Mordin's statement.

"Were you aware of your creator's intentions?" he asked her.

She just looked at him, unable to answer.

"If only could speak," Mordin said, "could understand situation better and what Giriko planned on doing."

Tungel turned to him and took a step forwards, Mordin watched her carefully as she raised a hand and spread the fingers, the membrane between each finger seeming to turn a muted green. She pointed at the hand and then to his face, he wasn't sure what she intended to do, but he gave her permission to do what she needed.

Tungel placed her hand over the one side of his face, and a powerful electrical surge shot through his brain. A bright white light blinded him and there was a ringing in his ears. A second later colour flooded his vision, the world around him changed and he saw Senn Giriko looking down at him.

He wasn't sure how he knew, but this... _memory_ just told him that the man he saw was Senn Giriko. He had a bland tan; he clearly wasn't the type to sit in the sun, preferring the comforts of his lab and its specimens. His eyes and hair were that of a calm brown colour, and his hair was unevenly spiked in several places, like a series of blades.

He was younger than Mordin expected, probably only a few years older than Seraphina, and dressed in a lab coat with the sleeves folded and pinned to the shoulders. He looked down at Mordin, or rather, at Tungel as the memory showed, and smiled with teeth that were too sharp for a human.

_"It works!" he cried with glee. "I successfully reproduced the prothean's exchange system! I was worried at first, prothean DNA is difficult to scrape off artefacts and then there was taking into account your system works both ways... but it worked, I can see from the data that you have absorbed my memories!"_

_He dissapeared from view and reappeared seconds later, "Now tell me," he said. "What did you learn from me?"_

_Tungel clicked in reply. Giriko frowned._

_"Your brain has not yet developed the cognitive ability to speak," he announced. "Though it appears you understand me well. Never mind, this is a success nonetheless. Wait until the Illusive Man sees this, human and alien DNA in harmony. He'll never understand, but we **can** coexist..."_

The memory faded and a new one appeared, some sort of holding area where the monsters were kept. Tungel didn't like this place, she didn't like being around the other creatures who Giriko would spend hours attending too. It wasn't jealousy, it was fire. Those... monsters were stronger than her, if they ever got out they would kill her. Giriko stood outside her cell, he glanced back at a brute in a cell opposite and a smile came across his face.

_"Remember this, little one," he said. "You're not like them, these creatures are just... cannon fodder for when humanity decides to fight. We'd never win, no matter what the Illusive Man believes, but if I can convince him - through you - that our greatest chance is strengthening our bodies with alien DNA then we may stand a chance."_

_Tungel looked down at her hands, examining the lines on her palm and the membrane between each finger. She tried to understand what she was, she knew why she had been created and what her purpose was, but a part of her refused to think of herself as just the prototype. She had been created as a test subject, the chance to show someone she didn't know that humans and aliens could coexist. _

_If she proved to be successful then it was very likely Giriko would create another one, another Tungel, only complete and with more purpose. But what kind of difference was she going to make? She wasn't turian or human or krogan, she was all three. This was going to do nothing but enrage the Illusive Man further, he would most likely demand her destruction, and she didn't want that._

_She wanted to live._

Everything went dark and there was the sound of an alarm, a light flashed in the corner. Tungel felt afraid, and Mordin felt her fear as if it was his own. Something was happening, Giriko had dissapeared and the lab was under attack.

Wherever they were, it wasn't Tungel. This was a different planet, a different facility. Giriko had moved her to a different lab because someone was attacking research bases, he was growing worried, he didn't want anyone to find Tungel. She followed the arrows on the floor, searching for Giriko, and met a strange figure at the end of the corridor, someone in familiar armour Giriko had developed. He had called it _'Collector Armour'_.

_The person stopped and pointed a gun at Tungel, and demanded, "Who are you, where is Giriko?"_

_Tungel clicked in response. _

_The person cocked their head and lowered the gun, they examined Tungel carefully and removed the armour from her arm._

_"I think I know who you are," she said. "But I can't be sure until you let me look at your memories, can you do that?"_

_Tungel nodded slowly and touched her arm._

_A sharp burst ran its course through Tungel, the exchange was two-way, and whatever Tungel took she gave in return. Tungel learnt from every new person, every new memory and idea became her own, and in exchange those who shared the experience were given her memories and ideas. Tungel learnt, slowly, but surely she learnt something new.  
_

_Tungel pulled back, her arm tingling. She knew the woman before her, Giriko had spoken of Shepard often. Shepard was a part of her; the human in her came from Shepard and was retrieved from a research facility in Knossos. Tungel knew everything about her, and now Shepard knew everything about her._

_"I knew it," Seraphina said. "I didn't believe Giriko, but now... come with me, _Tungel._ The Illusive Man will kill you and Giriko will let him, because he can always make a new another one - but there'll never be another **you**. Don't let him take that away."_

_Tungel made a noise and Seraphina understood, however this connection worked, Tungel had made a deeper one with Seraphina._

_"You were born on Tungel," she said. "You probably don't remember."_

_"Remember," Tungel replied. "But want something in return."_

_Her strange trills were now so easy for Mordin to understand, it was almost like he heard the rough translation in his head. Giriko didn't share this ability with Tungel, he didn't connect with her. To him, her cognitive ability must have been seen as a failure._

_"... And what's that?" Seraphina asked._

_"Let me help..."_

Tungel removed her arm and Mordin understood, he knew what Giriko was planning. What he didn't understand, why would someone like Giriko be hired by Cerberus. Giriko wasn't like this _'Illusive Man'_; he saw value in alien life where his fellow operatives did not. How long had he been operating within the Shadow Alliance?

He asked Tungel, if anyone would know she would. Ever since Giriko was banned from serving within the Alliance and submitting findings to medical journals he had dissapeared, until now.

"Do you know why Cerberus hired him?" Mordin asked.

"He created S.A," Tungel spoke much clearer now, since absorbing Mordin's memories her verbal ability must have grown. "When the Alliance fired him, he funded and created the Shadow Alliance. Cerberus then absorbed and funded it, on the condition nothing like me was created."

"Seems curiosity got the better of him," Mordin remarked.

Tungel glanced at the elevator, where only moments ago her liberator had stood and told her to stay with the salarian. The thought of Shepard dying saddened her, she had never been truly sad before. It wasn't a feeling she liked.

...

Garrus arrived at the top floor, the main office and lab, the place where Tungel was born. There was so many notes and vids, it was almost like Giriko had left them their on purpose. For all Garrus knew the files contained a virus or a tapeworm system, something that would erase his own system's data, but it was worth the risk.

He cleaned out every file and vid and continued on his search for Giriko. He passed the main office and came to a glass tunnel that led to a private shuttle, and near the end of the corridor, Giriko and a man Garrus didn't know.

The other man, a dark haired agent carrying a Japanese-style sword, heard Garrus' silent approach and grabbed Giriko, pushing forwards as to shield him and raised his sword. Garrus raised his weapon, aiming past the swordsman to Giriko.

He didn't want to kill Giriko without first questioning him, but if it came to it Garrus wouldn't hesitate.

"Give me Giriko and I'll let you go," Garrus bartered.

"I don't make deals with a Cuttlebone," the assassin hissed.

"Now, now, Kai Leng," Giriko smirked. "No need for that sort of language, I believe Mr Vakarian is being rather generous."

"Be quiet, Doctor," Kai Leng snapped. "My orders were to bring you in."

"And I'd rather be with the turian," Giriko remarked. "Your company is rather... dull."

"Then I see there's only one way to resolve this situation," Kai Leng said.

He drew his sword and charged towards the turian, Garrus went to fire-

"Stop!" Giriko cried. "If you fire and strike the glass we'll all suffocate!"

"Damn it," Garrus hissed.

Giriko swung his sword, the blade coming up in a sharp upwards strike that Garrus blocked using his M-97 Viper Sniper Rifle. The blade skidded off the rifle, making a sharp metallic noise and leaving a nasty scar as it went. Kai twisted the blade so it fell just behind the turian's head and he pulled forwards, Garrus fell onto his hunches and swung the gun.

Kai jumped over the rifle and landed behind Garrus. He kicked the gun from the turian's grasp and spotted an opening, he swung his blade. With no time to defend, Garrus raised his hand and caught the blade in his palm. Giriko watched, in awe, as the turian managed to hold his own against the assassin. Giriko had seen Kai Leng cut open a turian's stomach with a single swipe of his blade, to actually see one holding his own against Leng was... _interesting._

"I'm glad I used _your_ DNA instead of Arterius'," Giriko smirked. "You're far more interesting."

Giriko knew what would happen if Kai Leng took him, the Illusive Man didn't trust Giriko or his work anymore and the most likely outcome would be Giriko's death. Someone else would take over the Shadow Alliance, someone who would listen to the Illusive Man, someone easy to control.

Giriko had his own plans and, as it was, Cerberus had outlived their usefulness. He had no need for them and this turian may help him finalize his plans. That is, if the turian had any chance of beating Kai Leng. Then again, why should Giriko wait around to see who wins? It was all on vid for his viewing pleasure and with the two so focused on one another, he had time to escape.

"You're stubborn," Kai snarled, "for a Cuttlebone."

"Stop calling me that!" Garrus snapped.

He pulled out his small fire arm and smashed the butt against the assassin's head, Kai staggered and his grip faltered. Garrus pulled the sword from his grasp and jammed the gun into Kai's gun, firing once. He gasped and blood exploded from the wound, running down the gun. He quickly regained his thoughts and kicked Garrus away.

Garrus aimed his gun, Kai Leng threw something to the ground and cloud of smoke consumed the assassin's shape. Garrus charged through the thick smoke and hit the end of the tunnel, both Kai Leng and Giriko were gone. He looked through the tunnel window and saw Kai Leng's ship taking off after a small shuttle.

Leng had gotten away, and apparently so had Giriko. A Cerberus operative running away from another agent? The Illusive Man really didn't approve of Giriko's experiments, so if that was true, where would Giriko go now and what was he planning?

The door opened at the other end of the tunnel and Wrex grabbed Garrus' arm. The krogan was covered in blood, most of it wasn't his. His armour was a little dented too, but to a krogan bumps and dents was an honour that rivalled clan colours. Garrus didn't bother to ask how Wrex got away, the krogan had a few surprising tricks.

"Come on," he said. "We're running out of time."

"...Right," Garrus turned away from the window and collected the scarred rifle and the assassin's blade.

"Is that Giriko's?" Wrex asked.

"No," Garrus replied.

They left and headed to the shuttle, Garrus saying nothing more for the rest of the trip. Seraphina gave her friend space and instead focused on Tungel, hugging the experiment as the shuttle took off into the dark air and the base below exploded in a burst of fire. From a terminal Tungel and Garrus watched as the place so filled with pain and horror was consumed by fire, inside the husks and brutes burnt, and it was hard not to feel sorry for them.

They were like Tungel, born for a purpose neither understood.

To Garrus, they were victims, those he had sworn to protect with his life. They weren't turian or krogan or even human, they were something else, something horrible. And maybe, they were going to give Garrus' life a purpose, a destiny that would take him far beyond the Mass Relays, beyond the Citadel, to a new world.

_To Be Continued..._

_...  
_

_Another long chapter and with the introduction of two of my original characters. Tungel will have less of a major part, Giriko on the other hand is to become my antagonist in my Garrus sequel, so if all goes well with **Spectres** Garrus will have his own story!_

_Please review :)_


	23. TwentySecond Assignment

**Twenty-Second Assignment**

The trip back to the Citadel was long, they needed to stop and refuel. They took the opportunity to contact Anderson and Quentius. What had happened was... big, potentially they had just stopped Giriko from using monsters in a battle that would redefine the term _'biological warfare'_.

They had never seen anyone with the power or ability to use the DNA of a deceased race and the technology of another deceased race to create such creatures, Giriko was perhaps the most intelligent and brilliant human in the entire galaxy and he was working for Cerberus. Or rather, he was.

If what Garrus and Tungel said was true, then Giriko had no interesting in remaining on Cerberus' payroll. It should have been a good thing, but just because Giriko no longer worked for Cerberus' didn't mean he stopped working.

As the ship refuelled Seraphina sent Tungel to the corner of the ship with Mordin, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be treated as a threat by Quentius and Anderson. She just wanted to be sure Tungel received sanctuary from the Citadel.

The holographic images of both Councillor's appeared; the three Spectre's saluted them. They merely nodded in response.

"Shepard!" Anderson beamed. "They found you."

"She was our inside source," Garrus said. "If not for her we'd never have found the base or even gotten in."

"What was you doing, Shepard?" Quentius asked. "You vanish for a week and then you lead us to a Cerberus base. Didn't I specifically warn you about the consequences of hunting Cerberus on your own?"

"I didn't..." she sighed. "It didn't start as a hunt for Cerberus."

"Then why did you go?" he asked.

She bit her bottom lip, how did she explain her situation? Surely to someone like Quentius her Cerberus implants meant that she was a mole or some sort of sleeper agent, perhaps she was transmitting their meeting at the very moment. It seemed rather coincidental that a Spectre hunting Cerberus also had Cerberus tech within her body.

Wrex saw her unease and took a step forwards, "Shepard has Cerberus implants," he announced.

"What?" Anderson gasped.

"Wrex-!"

"She and several other children were given the implants when they reached maturity," Wrex explained. "The other children died and her implants messed with her biotic power. She only went to see if a new generation were given these implants."

"Is this true, Shepard?" Quentius demanded.

"...Yes," she replied.

Quentius and Anderson shared a hard look, Anderson seeming to plead with the turian, but Quentius only shook his head. Anderson sighed and turned back to Seraphina.

"You know what this means, don't you?" he said.

She just nodded, unable to speak.

"Then, Shepard, we have no choice but to temporarily suspend your services," Quentius declared. "We shall investigate further and see what effect these implants have, if you pose no threat then you'll be allowed to return to regular duties."

"I'm not even allowed to participate in non-Cerberus related activities?" she asked.

"Just until we understand the situation better," Anderson insisted. "You'll have to remain in the Citadel within that time and report your activities to one of us every day. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," she gritted her teeth.

"Now, what did you find in that base?" Quentius asked.

"An ex-alliance doctor named Senn Giriko has been conducting research on alien and human life," Garrus answered. "All products of his research have been destroyed, but he and his organization will resurface again."

"I knew Senn Giriko," Anderson announced. "He was assigned to my vessel when I was still a commander, he had a bad vibe. Kept the skull's of ex-patients and K.I.A agents in his office. Safe to say no one liked him."

"And now he's conducting dangerous research," Quentius said. "We'll put an alert out for him, have everyone in the galaxy keep an eye out for him. We can't let him get away."

"Is there anything else?" Anderson asked.

The three Spectre's looked at one another and Mordin shifted uncomfortably. There was still Tungel to take into consideration, but could they risk informing the Councillors of her existence? Knowing she was made by Giriko could have her put into isolation and a research facility. They didn't want to see her put into captivity or worse.

Mordin stood and approached the Councillor's image.

"We _did_ bring back a live research specimen," Mordin said. "She's intelligent, quick to learn, but will not bring her in without her safety guaranteed."

"Why is this specimen different to the others?" Anderson inquired.

"Tungel was made to impress the leader of Cerberus," Seraphina answered. "She is the combined DNA of the three Spectre's standing before you, but she isn't a threat and I won't have her treated as such. She stays with Mordin's and no one else will touch her."

"I understand, Shepard," Anderson replied. "We'll have her placed within Mordin's care and have his lab moved to a more secure position, but at the first sign of danger we will have to see to her."

"If there's more you can just put it in your report," Quentius added. "For now, rest up and we'll see you when you return."

...

_The Citadel_

Garrus sat facing his terminal, each of Giriko's research notes on screen, a vid playing in the corner. He had much more to say on the subject, on the mission in general, if only Quentius had given him the time to explain his worries.

Giriko was a threat to everyone, not just aliens, but to his own kind. And not just him, that assassin Kai Leng, who Garrus had learnt by now through old Alliance dossiers, was as ruthless as Cerberus' intentions. They both needed to be stopped and he was going to make damned sure he was the one who put an end to their bloody actions.

Giriko thought he was doing the right thing, even though his methods were flawed and his creations monsters, he still believed he was doing the right thing. And that was the worst kind of madness. Garrus couldn't let him continue, the man was insane. He was chaos, and Garrus needed to bring the order.

He began to arrange the vids and notes, sending each of them into organized files. If he was going to bring down Giriko he needed to organize his report accordingly, he needed a dossier, and he had the most dreadful feeling that the list of atrocities was going to get bigger.

...

Seraphina sat in her apartment, thinking of what had happened in the shuttle. She could have handled the situation better if Wrex had not interfered. The Councillor's didn't need to know about her Cerberus implants, she could have kept it hidden, thought of a better excuse just until she understood the situation better.

But the tragic thing was that Wrex was right in telling them. If she hid the truth and they found out later then it would only give them more cause not to trust her, he had done the right thing. Still, it didn't stop her from being mad at him.

The front door opened, she jumped to her feet and faced the krogan stood in the open doorway. She opened her mouth to speak, though she wasn't quite sure what she planned on saying, when Wrex raised a hand and stopped her.

"Before you say anything," he said, "I'm not sorry for what I did, but you know I was right in telling them."

She closed her mouth.

"Secondly," he stepped aside, allowing the asari to enter. "I think you and Liara need to talk."

"Seraphina," Liara smiled. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," she said. "It has."

A small smile crossed Wrex's face as Liara and Seraphina went to the bar and talked. He left them to it, he was certain they had plenty to talk about, some of which was probably going to involve his relationship with Seraphina.

He wasn't too keen on sticking around for that.

At the bar, Seraphina spotted something. A sealed present and a bottle of that beautifully bad Gargle Blaster. She examined the box, not finding any sort of note or explanation for its appearance.

"It's probably the gift Wrex bought for you," Liara said.

"Gift?" she repeated.

"He came to me the other day, asking what he should get you for your anniversary," Liara replied.

"That silly krogan," she smiled.

She opened the box and removed the additional packing, and a her huge smile came across her face. She pulled the item out of the box and examined it better, a expertly crafted model of the infamous Reaper Sovereign who fought aganst the protheans so many decades ago. It would look great next to her model of the Citadel.

...

_Somewhere_

The assassin faced his leader and bowed his head in defeat. The Illusive Man didn't even look at him, his eyes focused mainly on the blue sun in the distance. In fact, he paid more attention to the cigarette in his mouth than Kai Leng.

"Giriko got away," the Illusive Man assumed.

"Yes," Kai hissed.

"How?" he demanded. "My greatest assassin bested by a nerd in a lab coat?"

"A turian intervened," Kai answered. "He must have been linked to the woman who broke into several S.A bases over the course of a week. Giriko took advantage of the situation and escaped while I fought the Cuttlebone."

The Illusive Man tapped his cigarette against a tray, "I recovered some surveillance footage from one of those bases," he informed Kai. "That woman was Shepard, and she and the turian and a krogan have been attacking our organization for some months. They are starting to pose a threat."

"Should I take care of them?" Kai Leng asked.

"You couldn't take care of one turian," the Illusive Man snapped.

"Then what should we do?" he asked.

"We'll wait," the Illusive Man replied. "I have a... friend in the Citadel; he will find out who is controlling our three annoyances and have them eliminated. Once we have control of the situation we shall take action. Until then, learn how to kill a turian."

Kai Leng gritted his teeth, holding down his insult. He had killed turian's, he had killed more than the grey-haired man ever had. And he was going to kill this turian; he was going to make sure of it.

...

_Lazarus Research Station_

Giriko strolled into his gleaming research facility and felt revived. He had gotten so caught up with Tungel and the husks he had forgotten all about his Lazarus Station, here he had everything he needed to make the Illusive Man see the error of his ways.

Humanity was weak, and here he had what he needed to show the Illusive Man where had gone wrong. He wasn't going to return to Cerberus, but he still loved the thought of showing off his creation to a man with his head so stuck in the ground.

He entered the main office and noticed a pop-up message on his terminal; someone had hacked into his system and taken copies of his research. He quickly back-tracked to see who had taken such an interest and he smiled.

"My, my, Garrus Vakarian you are a man after my own heart," he chuckled. "You've taken as big as interest in me as I have in you."

A man entered his office, a strange figure with the mechanical legs of a spider. Giriko waved casually at the man.

"Professor Krona," Giriko greeted.

"Giriko," Krona responded coldly.

"Aww, what's with the tone?" Giriko laughed.

"I don't want to continue with this project," Krona replied. "I want each specimen released and-"

"Is this because of that girl?" Giriko frowned. "If it is I'll have her immediately eradicated and you'll be assigned onto a new task-"

"No, no!" Krona said. "Don't hurt her, please."

"Then get back to work," Giriko said coldly.

Krona swore under his breath and went back to work. Giriko turned back to his terminal and brought up Garrus Vakarian's dossier. The smile returned to his face as a fun thought struck him, he was going to see more of Garrus, and he was looking forwards to the next meeting.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Another chapter and now I feel that we are so close to the end, though I have no idea why, there's still another ten or so chapters left. Maybe it's because I have started planning the sequel or whatever. Anyway, fans, I'm taking a two-week shore leave. I'll be back briefly within those weeks, but it won't be long enough to write a new chapter._

_So please be patient and hold on a little holder, two weeks shouldn't be too long a wait. Please review as usual and I shall respond to them when I return.  
_


	24. TwentyThird Assignment

**Twenty-Third Assignment**

_"It seems the galaxy is forever moving forwards, first with the Qui'in Galaxy's introduction, and now with the legislation of a new law which will allow humans to marry into alien cultures. Before now, humans chose to simply 'mate' with their partners as there was no legal document required, but now with this law humans will have the freedom to be with their loved ones..."_

Seraphina hated house arrest, she got bored very easily, and she had nothing to do but spend her days watching television or going to the firing range. The first week wasn't so bad, she spent most of her time with Liara and though there was a part of her that didn't forgive Shepard, they were once again friends.

The second week had been hell.

Wrex and Garrus were busy with assignments and she was not allowed to visit Tungel or Mordin because the lab was in a secured part of the Citadel, and since her status had been temporarily revoked she was not allowed in such areas. So she watched TV, she caught up on all the books that had piled up over the years, and once all that was done she had nothing to do.

The third week was better, when news of this new marriage law reached her ears she signed herself on to be part of the organization party. The law required there be enough alien and human signatures for the Council to take it seriously, once there was enough the Council and representatives of non-Citadel races would come together and sign the agreement.

So Seraphina spent her week talking to every person she passed, getting them to sign the petition, and many agreed to it. Asari were very open-minded, she didn't meet one who didn't agree to the new law. Salarians were a bit more cautious, but it was understandable when considering they didn't have relations like other species.

Turians had a thing for humans, especially human females who were considered to have_ 'superb oral skills'_, so there was plenty of willing participants there. The most opposition she faced came from her own kind, specifically some organization called **'HUMAN'S NOW'**.

It wasn't even a clever title, even their slogan was pathetic. _'HUMANS NOW, ALIENS NEVER_'. They opposed the law so much it was almost funny, staging their own 'fights' in order to get publicity and twisting interviews of well-known Spectre's and officials with alien partners to further tarnish relations. They tried the same tactic with her.

Some woman named Khalisah al-Jilani - who had an infamous record of being punched out the most by interviewees - requested the interview. Safe to say, it ended badly, and Wrex now had the vid saved to his personal playlist.

As the week drew to a close Seraphina and her army had gathered enough signatures and now, in her fourth week of suspension, the races were gathering to sign the petition that would pass the act.

Seraphina stood waiting in her apartment; three separate terminals open as she spoke to Garrus, Wrex and Mordin. Garrus and Wrex were on separate assignments, but were now en route to the Citadel, while Mordin was returning from his nephew's hatching on Sur'kesh.

"Even without a gun Commander Shepard knows how to stir politics," Garrus smirked.

"Yes," Mordin agreed. "Quite fortunate you were helping, more people willing to listen to you."

"Why's that?" she said.

"How many humans with a krogan boyfriend?" Mordin smirked.

"They probably thought that if a human could bunk up with a krogan then you're kind is pretty willingly to sleep with anything," Garrus remarked.

"I _am_ here, turian!" Wrex snapped.

"I know," Garrus teased. "That's why I said it."

"Enough, you two," she said. "I want you both to be in high spirits for when you get back, then we can celebrate together."

"Good thing I got more Gargle Blaster!" Wrex grinned.

"None for me," Mordin smirked. "Does terrible things to my head. Other drinks are fine, though."

A fourth terminal appeared, this time it was Anderson. The other three terminals quickly closed at the sight of their commanding officer, they knew that if Anderson had finally decided to talk to Seraphina then perhaps she could return to work.

"Councillor Anderson," she greeted with a curt nod of the head.

"Morning, Shepard," he said. "I have good news for you."

"My suspension is over?" she said hopefully.

"Not yet," he said, "but it may be over sooner if you help us."

"And what exactly do you want, Anderson?" she frowned.

"You led the organization party, Shepard," Anderson observed. "You got the Council to agree to a law that the Alliance thought would never happen - humans are getting that much closer to equality because of you."

"I only led the Citadel Party," she remarked.

"And the Citadel is the key point in the whole galaxy," he pointed out. "No matter what the other colonies did, it was the Citadel that needed convincing otherwise the Councillors would not have taken it seriously."

It was true, the Citadel controlled the galaxy and without them taking notice no other race would have bothered to even read the agreements of the law. She had led the party, but there were others who had helped, hundreds in facts who had given their time to help.

So why was Anderson addressing her, specifically, for some task?

Was it because of her reputation? She was a two-star Spectre with a krogan boyfriend, who had recently spared the name of Matriarch Benezia from becoming known with the word 'traitor' and prevented a new Geth-Quarian Conflict. Her old N7 Academy wanted to put her on their wall of heroes.

She was becoming a very influential figure, both on the battlefield and in politics.

"So what is it you need me to do, Anderson?" she asked.

"I just need you to be there during the signing," Anderson replied. "The rest of the Councillors and other representatives of the intergalactic races will be there. Each race will be allowed to choose one additional member of their own race for security, and humanity voted for you."

It was as Seraphina suspected, she was making waves with her work. She was helping the galaxy as she had promised her family, but she never imagined she would prove to be more of an asset as a political figure than a soldier.

"I'll be honoured to serve as Earth's representative," she saluted.

"Then I'll see you at the given time and location," Anderson's face dissapeared from the screen and instead there was a list of instructions.

Seraphina looked at them for a moment, quickly remembering the facts and then deleted them. She slumped into her chair, quiet for a long time. So much accomplished without the need of a gun, she wondered if maybe she had picked the wrong career.

...

Some hours later, in the deeper tunnels of the Citadel where only the Keepers go, a group of armed men and women stood huddled in the darkness. It was difficult to know how many were there, all wore white armour, which for some reason, made it harder to see them. Several Phantom's were visible, but the majority of them were Assault Troopers.

And if Keepers were able to respond to any other thought than _'WORK'_ then they would know that the humans crowded below were trouble. They were going to make the Citadel a very messy place, which was good for them, who strived to work and keep their home in check. But it was bad for the millions above, who went about their daily routine, unaware of the unwelcome disruption.

...

Garrus, Wrex and Mordin all arrived back at the Citadel roughly around the same time with only a ten minute break in-between each arrival.

It was unusual for them to drive a ship that wasn't piloted by an AI, but when a separate mission faced them they were forced to take a boring, non-talking ship. Neither of them would be allowed in the actual room where the law would be finalized, but the Presidium had been fitted with large terminals that was streaming a live-feed.

"Any idea what Anderson wanted with Seraph?" Wrex asked.

They took some seats in Apollo's Caf and ordered a round of drinks; it was perhaps too early for drinks but Seraphina _did_ want to celebrate with a good round or two. And she never said they couldn't start without her.

"No," Garrus said. "But where is she? She should have been here first."

Wrex brought up his Omni-tool, ready to call her, when Mordin calmly laid a hand on the krogan's arm and pointed to the largest of terminals. On screen the four Councillors were working out the last of their long speech, either side of them were other Citadel and non-Citadel races, with their Spectre representative - or in some cases - chief of security behind them.

At first Wrex couldn't see what Mordin was pointing out, but then the camera changed its angle and then he saw them. Behind the Councillors was Primarch Adrien Victus, Captain Kirrahe of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment STG, Dr. Liara T'Soni and _'Commander'_ Seraphina Shepard of the N7 Academy and Two-Star Spectre, dressed proudly in her purple N7 armour.

"So that's why he wanted her," Wrex smiled.

"Look at our lil' Shepard now," Garrus smirked. "Whoever thought she'd make a good politician?"

"Not, Seraph, that's for sure," Wrex laughed. "She once told me, _'Shooting people I'm good at, but talking to them? I'm no good at that.'_ I think she underestimated herself..."

"Clearly," Mordin agreed. "Shepard has much political potential, perhaps helpful for new life on Tuchanka."

Wrex quickly turned to the salarian, "Seraphina told you?" he said.

"No," Mordin answered. "Tungel present during your conversation, when memories were swapped received this information."

"What's this about Tuchanka?" Garrus asked.

Wrex sighed.

The waitress came over and delivered three sweet-smelling drinks in slim glasses, she smiled as she went onto the next customer.

"I never planned on becoming a Spectre, it just happened," Wrex explained. "My goal from the start was to grow strong enough so I could defeat the leader of my clan and take over. I wanted Seraphina to come with me, but... she's unsure."

"Maybe this new law will change her mind," Garrus said helpfully. "After all, you can marry her now."

"Yeah, there is that," Wrex perked up a bit.

On screen the galaxy's representatives had just finished signing the petition, all that was left was for the Council to finalise the agreement. They raised their glasses.

"To the future and whatever the hell it throws at us," Garrus cheered.

Councillor Valern raised her hand, ready to make the new law, and the trio tapped their glasses.

"To the future-"

A loud explosion ripped through the hushed silence of the Presidium, one of the stalls exploded in a glorious blaze of crimson and orange that swept upwards. Sparks flew through the air, setting alight plants and burning bystanders. The store beside it caught fire and the flames spread, panic ensured as the floor exploded and men in heavy white armour and women in slim armour brandishing swords charged towards the crowd and set off warning shots.

On the terminals, faces paled and Councillors and world leaders were ushered aside by Seraphina and those with guns. News spread fast, as soon as the explosion occured each Spectre was warned. They were quick to react, just as any Spectre should be.

Wrex flipped the table and they fell behind it for cover, around them civilians either copied them or ran for cover. C-Sec immediately descended on the intruders, firing their weapons, but hardly denting the armour. A woman charged towards them, holding her sword against her body and drove it into one C-Sec officer. Another turned on her, she held the body as a shield as the officer fired.

She pulled her sword free and slit his throat, going onto her third victim. She charged directly for Wrex, brandishing her bloody blade. Wrex fired a biotic blast, freezing her in place just as she reached Mordin. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground, her skull cracking against the force. He took the katana from her limp grasp and threw up a barrier around him, and charged into the fray. Seconds later there was a crunch of bone and he returned, throwing them both a firearm.

"Who are these clowns?" Garrus growled.

"No idea," Wrex said. "But I can guess..."

...

Inside the black hall with its low lights and high podium the leaders of the galaxy were placed in the emergency room inside the stage. It was a clever idea to hide the emergency tunnels and room inside the stage itself, the walls were thick and powerful, and there were plenty of supplies inside along with a direct contact to the outside.

Seraphina and the other able bodied members of the representative had taken the floor and began to build a barrier using the arch-shaped lounge chairs. Honestly, lounge chairs in such a room? It made no sense to Seraphina, but she wasn't a designer so perhaps there was some sense to it.

Each camera had been turned offline and at the moment Captain Kirrahe was tapping into the system and brightening the room, dim lights were maybe dramatic but at the moment dramatics could wait until after the battle.

Seraphina continued to give orders alongside Victus, who had taken the left wing of the hall to guard while Seraphina took the right. Kirrahe would take point. As her small unit took cover, she noticed Liara stood passively, starring at the gun in her hand.

"You should be under the stage with the diplomats," Seraphina remarked.

"I can handle myself, Shepard," Liara responded.

Seraphina arched an eyebrow, "Shepard?" she repeated.

"Sorry, but we _are_ around other military forces," Liara pointed out. "I shouldn't refer to you by first name, it would be... unprofessional."

"You're right, Dr. T'soni," Seraphina replied.

The lights flickered and grew brighter. Kirrahe made some last second adjustments on the lock and joined them.

"Any word from any of our outside operatives?" he asked.

"I can't through to my men," Victus replied.

Seraphina tried her own Omni-tool, dialling four different people at once and hoping for one response. Finally she got an answer, from Tungel. She moved aside, taking the call in quiet. No one but she and Mordin could understand Tungel; she certainly didn't want to answer a series of clicks in front of the Primarch of Palaven.

"Tungel, what the hell is going on?" she hissed.

From Mordin's secured lab, Tungel could watch everything. Unknown to C-Sec and other armed forces, she had hacked into their systems and begun sending the enemy's coordinates and numbers to C-Sec, giving them a better understanding of the number of enemies and where exactly they were coming from. It was a much needed advantage.

"Some humans in uniform set off a bomb or something in one of the stalls and then burst from the floor of the Presidium," Tungel replied. "Wrex, Garrus and Mordin are there with C-Sec trying to fight the enemy."

"How good are the enemy fighters?" Seraphina asked.

"Not very," Tungel answered. "The men have the advantage of thick armour and powerful weapons, so even though their aim is off they're doing a lot of damage. The women are dangerous, they have shields and swords and are very fast, but up close they aren't match."

"What about the civilians and the rest of the forces?" Seraphina asked.

"Some civilians remain in the Presidium, but they are hiding in the apartments," Tungel answered. "The rest of C-Sec and armed forces have come to the Presidium and closed it down, along with the access tunnels. My scans show there are no more in the tunnels, but..."

"But?" Seraphina insisted. "But what?"

"Enemies are enclosing on your location!" Tungel responded. "An ATLAS and a several dozen grounds forces, too."

"What? How did they pass security?" she demanded.

"I don't know," Tungel cried. "Just prepare for-"

The door exploded outward, shrapnel flew across the air and splintering the ground. A turian hit the ground hard, bits of steel digging into her left. She shook off the wound and fell into position, while another wounded salarian ignored the gash on his shoulder and a krogan snapped his arm back into place. They truly were the best around.

"Fall into position!" Seraphina ordered. "An ATLAS and ground forces coming our way!"

The soldiers and Prothean expert fell behind cover, raising their firearms as the ATLAS smashed down the wall and squeezed itself inside. On the front of the heavy mech Seraphina noticed something, in big bold letters and appeared to be sprayed on was the slogan _'HUMANS NOW, ALIENS NEVER.'_

Armed humans flooded inside, some with swords others with huge guns. They fell in line before the ATLAS and one pushed his way to the front, in the same heavy white armour as the others, but sprayed with slogans and racist slurs, making him look like a very unattractive candy cane.

"Human diplomats and soldiers," he called, "surrender the aliens and we shall let you go."

Seraphina peered over the cover, spotting the man who could barely see behind the amount of red spray on his armour and visor.

"You're too late to stop the signing," she said. "It's already done."

"What?" he demanded. "What are you talking about? We saw it on the screen; the salarian sow never had the chance to sign it."

Kirrahe frowned disapprovingly at the comment.

"They're in a safe location now, you moron," Seraphina snapped. "They took the agreement with them and signed it safe out of sight; all it needs is a press release which will happen shortly after we defeat you. Or you can surrender and not die."

Before he could reply one of the swordswomen charged and screamed, "Never!" She came straight for Seraphina, ready to swing, when a biotic blast knocked her back. She hit the floor hard, her arm snapping as she bounced and rolled to her leader's feet.

Seraphina glanced sharply at Liara, her arm still raised and pulsing with that powerful aura. Liara looked at her friend and just nodded. '_No need for words,'_ that's what Liara would have said. Friends looked out for one another, even if it wasn't obvious.

Seraphina turned her steely gaze onto **HUMANITY NOW** and roared, "Open fire!"

The entire right flank exploded with the sound of gun and the swordswomen were all cut down before they had chance to avenge their ally, the colourful leader turned and made a run for it. The ATLAS fired a shot, the rocket cutting through the sound of bullets. It hit a biotic shield and bounced, flying up into the air and then back down, falling into the middle of the armoured foes.

Victus gave the order and his unit opened fire, while Liara joined a asari biotic in keeping up the shields.

Kiarrahe turned to two of his men, one a salarian and the other a krogan. "Get in there and take out the ATLAS," he ordered. "Sweep the legs, bring it to its knees."

"Yes, sir!" they saluted and charged into the fray, dodging and weaving between enemy fire.

The men formed a line before the krogan, Seraphina released a grenade and the men were blown back by the force. The krogan continued towards the ATLAS, his body glowing, and he tackled the ATLAS' legs. It creaked as one leg snapped and it fell onto its back, the salarian moved like a snake and in an instant was on top of the mech, smashing the visor with a fist and firing two shots at its pilot.

Seraphina continued to fire, taking out those who came too close. She noticed ten or so men and a swordswoman run for the exit. She turned to a salarian biotic who was doing a good job of protecting her flank. She ordered Liara to take over his position and for him to put up a barrier over the exit. The ten men and woman hit the biotic wall, as they turned to retaliate they were cut down by rapid fire and their bloody corpses fell to the ground.

A hush fell over them as the smoke cleared and they saw each white piece of armour stained by blood.

Victus turned to his men, "Sweep the area, make sure they're all dead," he ordered.

His men obeyed and quickly ran onto the battered ground. Victus turned to Kirrahe and Seraphina.

"Casualty report," he ordered.

The biotics released their shields and barriers and staggered slightly from the strain, but they stood firm.

"No deaths on my side," Seraphina answered. "A few minor wounds, is all."

"Same on my side," Kirrahe added.

"Then this has been a clean victory," Victus said.

"No yet," Kirrahe said. "It's not over."

"He's right," Seraphina agreed. "Their leader got away and C-Sec is battling more of them in the Presidium, but at the moment the Presidium has been shut-down and we can't get in without a good technician."

"I have a good technician," Victus said. "Kirrahe, Shepard, you take your men to the Presidium and help with the final push. I'll stay here and set up a barrier. Call me when the situation is resolved."

Seraphina and Kirrahe called their men to them, taking Victus' technician they charged towards the Presidium.

...

Mordin wiped blood from his eye and fired a shot at the woman whose sword came just a little bit too close. She fell to the ground, a red hole in her head. Wrex fired a biotic blast, knocking back a unit who were advancing. Garrus tried to fix the wound of a C-Sec officer while also trying to cover his back.

They were pushing the enemy back, making progress, but there were too many officers down and still more protestors coming in through the hole in the ground. There was a ship docked somewhere, containing more of these human, it had to be the reason there seemed to be so many.

"What's the situation?" Garrus called over the gun fire.

"More of the bastard's keep coming!" Wrex roared. "We need to seal the hole or blast it!"

"Blasting hole would weaken structure," Mordin argued. "Put level below in danger."

"We can't damn well keep pushing!" Wrex snapped. "Something's got to give."

Garrus sighed as the situation grew darker, "We need a miracle," he grumbled.

And he got one.

The Presidium's C-Sec office opened and dozens of armed fighters, led by Seraphina and a green salarian Mordin recognized charged into the fray, cutting the enemy off from behind and boxing them in. Seraphina changed weapons, switching to a M-27 Scimitar. She ran towards her friends, just as an Assault Trooper blocked her path. She smashed the butt of the gun into a Trooper's face, knocking him into the ground and firing a round into his face.

She dived beside them, falling into cover. She grabbed Wrex's face and planted a lingering kiss on his lips, as she pulled away there was a clear look of relief on her face.

"Was that really necessary?" Wrex smirked.

"Yes," she smiled. "Everyone knows a life or death situation calls for a kiss. Haven't you ever seen human movie?"

"No," he responded. "And I'm not going to if that's how it ends."

"It's not the end yet," Garrus said, "Not with Commander Shepard here at our side!"

Seraphina nodded seriously and her smile fell from her face, she faced the opposing force as the numbers began to dwindle and they were pushed back down into the hole. Seraphina called to Captain Kirrahe and the two charged towards the hole, closely followed by Wrex and more biotics.

They jumped down into the hole, entering a narrow tunnel with a single line formation. Seraphina went to fire, Kirrahe grabbed her shoulder and she lowered her arm. Kirrahe didn't need to express his opinion, she knew instantly what was wrong. The tunnel was too narrow, one wrong shot and a pipe could burst or worse. And with such a tight formation it would be impossible to get them all and avoid any on-coming attacks, for now there was nothing left but to let them go.

"Victus," Seraphina called him on her comm. "The area is secured, but a few of them got away. They're probably heading for a docked shuttle."

"Send Kirrahe's forces to the starship dock," Victus ordered. "Ground them if possible or shoot them out of the sky, we can't let them get away."

"Understood, Primarch," Seraphina said.

Kirrahe heard the transmission and as they left the tunnel his men headed for the dock. An odd calm came over Seraphina as the situation winded down and medical officers and doctors flooded into the Presidium, the standing C-Sec personnel went to the hiding civilians and began to take statements and led them onto see professional advisers.

Seraphina called Tungel.

"I'm fine," she said. "They didn't spread further into the Citadel. Besides, I never would have let them get in. How's Mordin and the others?"

"Mordin is having his wound seen to," Seraphina replied. "Garrus is helping the C-Sec officers take statements and Wrex is making sure every last one of these assholes is dead."

"And you?" Tungel asked. "How are you?"

Seraphina stared at her shotgun, a few blood stains visible. The doubts that had come into her head, the thought of leaving the battlefield for politics... how foolish she was to think that. She was a soldier, first and foremost, but who said she couldn't dabble in politics as well?

"I'm fine," she said. "In fact, I'm great."

_To Be Continued..._

_...  
_

_I'm **SO** sorry for making you wait two weeks for this new chapter, but I did mention I was on holiday XD So to those who waited, thank you! I won't make you wait for a new chapter so long ever again. As always, please review._


	25. TwentyFourth Assignment

**Twenty-Fourth Assignment**

The candy cane leader of **HUMANITY NOW** ran for his shuttle and started the engines, as he prepared to leave more of his men appeared. They were covered in wounds and seemed terrified, though the fear was only obvious by their panicked breathing. They had been slaughtered, the advantage of surprise and better weaponry was nothing compared to skill and leadership.

He turned the shuttle and flew away, just as Kirrahe and his men entered the dock. Kirrahe ran for the ship, firing several useless shots. The shuttle flew further away and Kirrahe threw his gun to the floor in frustration. If only he had been a second faster, just a little bit quicker and perhaps he could have stopped them.

One of his men went to speak, offer some encouragement for the salarian who had helped to keep the Councillors and race leaders safe. What he accomplished was no small feat, he couldn't forget that. His solider took a brave step forwards, and **HUMANITY NOW**'s shuttle exploded. In a burst of concentrated heat the shuttle dissapeared in a fiery orb that blinded the soldiers.

As the fire and glow vanished, swept away by the vacuum of space, Kirrahe uncovered his eyes and saw the wreckage of the shuttle. A hunk of charred metal with small figures - that he assumed were bodies - floating into the abyss.

"Who did that?" he ordered. "Was that a Thanix Cannon or -"

"It wasn't us, sir," a soldier quickly replied. "That was a concentrated blast from inside the shuttle's hull. Someone must have installed a self-destruct sequence or a bomb."

Kirrahe was silent, but his thoughts obvious. He was going to have a long talk with his fellow commanders.

...

_"A day of joy has quickly turned into a day of tragedy and mourning, as the organization **HUMANITY NOW** attacked the Citadel, killing fourteen C-Sec officers and wounding others. The last remaining members of the organization were killed when their shuttle blew up. But today is not just a day of death; the new marriage law has been passed, so hope rises from this bloody battle field..."_

...

The Councillors had retired to their private office, it was a fairly small dark room with a round table and a single light. It was a room very few were aware existed - many Spectre's included - and was only used for the most secretive and important of meetings. To be included in such a meeting was an honour, though perhaps Primarch Victus and Captain Kirrahe had been in the room before, considering their status.

They had spent the better part of an hour discussing the recent attack, learning the full extent of the damage and the cost to life. There was much left to discuss, like who had given them clearance to enter and informed them of the entrance to the tunnels. The only possible answer was an inside informant, which left only one question. Who had given them such technology and weaponry in the first place?

Each of them had come to the same conclusion.

"**HUMANITY NOW** was working for another organization," Kirrahe said. "Otherwise they would have known of the bomb that killed them or detonated it closer to the Citadel."

"He's right," Seraphina agreed. "It would also explain how such a poorly funded organization got armour and weapons capable of holding off C-Sec. They weren't fighters, that much was obvious."

"Which just begs the question," Victus added, "who has the money and resources capable of funding such an attack?"

Seraphina looked to Quentius and Anderson, they knew who exactly had the money, resources and desire to attack the Citadel and prevent the new law. It was the same organization who had attacked the Councillors and Citadel the last time using vorcha, and they just knew that the next attack wasn't going to be so easy to deflect.

_"Cerberus."_

The voice that spoke was neither member of Operation Cobra, in fact, it was someone else entirely. All heads turned to Councillor Valern, who looked up at them sheepishly. Quentius looked beyond shocked, the salarian who had shot down each of his suggestions relating to Cerberus was now admitting their part in the attack?

Even Seraphina couldn't believe what she had heard.

"Perhaps..." Valern continued, "what Quentius and Anderson has been saying all along... is true."

"Councillor Valern?" Tevos frowned. "Why do you say this now? After so many months arguing that Cerberus doesn't exist-"

"I know it sounds... strange," Valern agreed. "But while hiding I thought of everything that had happened over the months, all the strangely organized attacks. Children of political families being used by a mysterious organization, the vorcha working alongside a yahg, a quarian trying to provoke a conflict between its race and the geth..."

She slammed her fists onto the table, "None of it makes sense!" she cried. "I don't want to believe they are connected, because it just seems..._ impossible!_ But after everything, what you always said Quentius, I think your right."

Quentius, at that moment, felt incredibly smug. But he didn't let it show. He calmly stood and addressed Valern, still trying to hide the turian equivalent of a smirk. Victus and Kirrahe shared a short glance and both took a step forwards.

"Kirrahe and I for the past several months have been feeding information regarding Cerberus to Councillor Anderson and Quentius," Victus announced. "For some time I have been suspect of the organization's existence and worked alongside Kirrahe to uncover bases and information. The information has been used by Quentius and Anderson to attack Cerberus through a special unit of their creation."

"What?" Valern gasped. "You went behind our backs and-"

"You didn't believe in Cerberus!" Quentius interrupted. "We couldn't stand by and let them get away with experiments and war crimes, we had to act. You can't argue they weren't successful. They stopped a Quarian-Geth Conflict _and_ defeated Ríocht Marfóir, along with the other incidents you mentioned."

Valern and Tevos turned to Seraphina, who now felt very uncomfortable with all of this attention now focused on her. Of course she was involved with this unit, she was Anderson's special Spectre and she obeyed his every command, why woudn't she be involved? Valern and Tevos shared a glance, some silent words passed between the two and Tevos stood.

"Then perhaps... Cerberus is a very real threat," Tevos said. "And perhaps three Spectre's isn't enough to fight them."

"What are you suggesting?" Anderson asked.

"A new squad, under the command of Shepard," Tevos replied. "I am aware that Shepard and her companions have gathered a few... _associates_ of interest who they could use. If we agree to this, agree that Cerberus is a threat, then we need a squad capable of handling the situation. It will be their main and only priority until the situation is resolved."

"It would be entirely off the books," Valern agreed. "If Shepard chooses non-Spectre or Citadel allies then we can easily dismiss the existence of this unit."

"I agree," Anderson said. "Cerberus cannot be made aware of this, they cannot know what we are planning."

Anderson turned to Seraphina and took her aside as Valern and Tevos continued to discuss the matter with Quentius.

"For the moment, keep this to yourself," he ordered. "I don't want you getting your - or anyone else's - hopes up."

"I understand," she said.

"Victus," Quentius turned his attention to his Primarch. "Both you and Kirrahe have battled valiantly and served your Councillor well, but we shall handle the matter from here."

"Very well," Victus nodded obediently. "But know that I look forwards to what comes of today's events, an Anti-Cerberus Unit would be one I would be happy to finance."

Primarch Victus and Captain Kirrahe left, closely followed by a very tired Spectre. She couldn't wait to go home and just take a nice, long hot bath and forget about today's events. She never imagined the extent to which Ceberus would dominate her life. Outside the secretive chamber she noticed Kirrahe and Victus had stopped, as if waiting to speak with her.

"Is there something you need, Primarch?" she asked.

"Captain Kirrahe and I just wanted to say it was a privilege to fight alongside you," Primarch Victus replied. "You are a very skilled fighter and from what I heard you are also something of a politician."

"Thank you," she saluted. "But I'm afraid I'm not as skilled in politics as many would believe."

"Perhaps, but you do have potential," Kirrahe said. "I see a bright future ahead of you, especially considering your relationship with Urdnot Wrex."

"What does Wrex have to do with this?" she asked.

"Wrex is... different to other krogan," Kirrahe responded. "Whereas others do not see the bigger picture, he does. I am aware that he has certain plans for Tuchanka and leading the krogan will be easy, but getting the galaxy to accept the krogan once again? That's something he will need help with."

"Whatever you choose to do," Victus added, "know that you can call on us as allies... and perhaps even friends in the future."

She saluted again, standing taller. "I am honoured, sir," she said. "To have men of your calibre think of me in such light, I am truly grateful and look forwards to when we next me."

They both returned her salute.

"Let us hope the next time we meet it shall not be on a battlefield," Victus smirked.

"Yes, let's hope..."

...

After filling out a standard report and speaking to a psychiatrist who established Seraphina was still of sound mind, she returned to her apartment. She found two things waiting for her, a message from Anderson sent only moments ago and Wrex.

She smiled at the sight of him and happily fell into his arms. Finally, a pleasant sight after everything. She relaxed in his grasp, finally feeling the tension from the battle just fall from her like a weight from her shoulders. He carefully led her to the bar and sat beside her, two drinks were set ready and - _thankfully_ - they weren't Gargle Blaster's.

"What is this?" she asked, inspecting the green liquid.

"Traditional asari tea," he answered. "Liara came round and dropped it off, she said it would help."

"How is she?" Seraphina inquired. "Did she look okay?"

"She seemed... shaken," Wrex answered as he eyed the tea.

Seraphina just nodded. Of course Liara was shaken, she had never actually needed to use her biotic powers for such intense combat before. She had probably used her powers in daily activities, like carrying equipment. Even on Illium, Liara had never fired a single shot. She was too delicate for battle. Seraphina was just happy that Liara's first battle was at her side, she didn't necessarily trust anyone else to look after her best friend.

She wondered how Garrus and Mordin were handling the situation.

"Mordin went back to his lab, to check on Tungel," Wrex announced. "Garrus is still helping C-Sec file reports and file a damage claim."

"Are you a mind reader now?" she teased.

"No," he answered and pushed the drink aside. "You're just very easy to read."

"I guess I am," she agreed.

She picked up the cool glass and took a small sip. It was sweet with a slight bitter after taste, and already she could feel her entire body cool and relax as the magical juice made its way through her system. She picked up the datapad and quickly read the message, a small smile crossed her face.

"What does it say?" he asked.

"My suspension is over," she replied. "I can return to duty as soon as I am able."

She took a long swig of her drink.

"What did Anderson and the Councillors want?" he asked.

"They wanted to talk about Cerberus," she replied. "Valern now thinks they might be a threat."

"Where does that leave us?" Wrex said. "Will they expand our group or just completely shut us down to make way for a larger, more experienced unit?"

She wanted to tell him what the Councillors had discussed, the possibility of an expansion and free-reign to research the enemies and conduct the assignments without fear of discovery from the most powerful individuals in the galaxy. But there was no point in telling him what she heard in case Valern went back on her word.

Seraphina didn't entirely trust the salarian woman - she was probably the only salarian Seraphina didn't like - and to tell him of such a wonderful opportunity for it to never happen seemed cruel.

"I don't know," she lied. "But Primarch Victus and Kirrahe had some interesting things to say about me and you."

"Us?" Wrex repeated. "What did they say?"

"That whatever you're planning for Tuchanka will probably work," she replied. "But getting the galaxy to accept the krogan again will take my assistance, the word of an outsider who has witnessed the ways of the krogan is probably what most people will be more willing to hear."

"...They're right," Wrex admitted. "All we can do is make the galaxy see that we have learned from our errors and are willing to return to the galactic community." He smirked bitterly, "I'm surprised they even included us in that new marriage law."

"They knew I would protest if they didn't," she joked.

Wrex fell silent, he starred down at the table, at the human who grabbed his hand and held it so tightly like a life line. Suddenly, he stood and faced her with a very serious expression that worried her. He saw her concern and quickly tried to explain himself before she got the wrong idea.

"When I told you I wanted you to be part of my _krantt_, what did you say?" he asked her.

"I..." she frowned in confusion.

Where had this come from? Why was he bringing this up now, just when she thought they had resolved the issue? She wasn't sure of her situation, he knew that. She wanted to continue her Spectre duties _and_ be with Wrex, no matter where it was fate took them. She didn't want to choose between a life with Wrex and her duty.

"I said, _'I'm sure the krogan would love that, a krogan leader with a human girlfriend'_," she replied. "Why are you asking me about that now, Wrex?"

"I've been thinking about it ever since we got from that damn research station," he scowled at the memory. "And you're right - the krogan would never accept my _'girlfriend'_ because we don't have them. We have life-partners, we don't toil around with a female and then get a new one when we're bored of our current one."

He scratched the scars on his face, something she noticed he did when he was nervous.

"So I came up with a solution," he continued. "The krogan would never accept my _'girlfriend'_ and you don't want to choose, so don't choose."

"What?" she gasped.

He took both her hands in his own, smiling at her. "Be my mate," he said, "and serve alongside me, but continue to be a Spectre and only come to my side when I have need of you."

"M-mate?" she repeated. "Like your... wife?"

He nodded, "If you want to think of it like that," he replied.

She took her hands back, "W-wait!" she stammered. "I... I need to think. Do you know what you re asking? It's a lot, Wrex, to commit your life to someone you haven't even known for a year!"

"I know, I know," he said. "At first I thought it was insane, but Seraph -" he took her hands again, squeezing them reassuringly. "- I love you and I never thought I'd ever say that to a human, or to anyone. You've helped me in more ways than one and the only way I can repay you is by giving you my life."

"Wrex... I..." she sighed. "I do love you..."

She looked at him, at the look in his eyes that was almost desperate. He wanted to spend his life with her, he wanted her to be in his _krantt_ and serve his people, and all the while she could continue to be a Spectre. She could help so many...

_What am I thinking?_ she frowned. _I've helped so many already and will help many more, so why can't I stop and do something for myself for once?_

A small part of her thought it was somewhat selfish to stop and consider her own happiness, but that wasn't what her parents had taught her. The N7 Academy had taught selfishness and responsibility, to take into considering everything else, and after the massacre on Akuze she had promised herself to do just that.

But the Academy weren't her family. John and Hannah Shepard were her mother and father and they had never allowed duty to come between them. They always did their duty, they made tough calls in order to benefit the many in favour of the few, but they _never_ put family or love on hold because a life without love or friendship wasn't life at all.

As her mother had once said, _"The Alliance is my teacher, the battlefield my friend, and my family are here in my heart and never will I allow them to take a bullet for me."_

It was something Hannah Shepard's own mother had told her, and when she passed it onto Seraphina, she never entirely understood until now. Family and love were as important as any mission or assignment, perhaps it was time to stop running away in fear of losing those she loved to an imaginary monster from the darkness.

But could she spend the rest of her life with a krogan she had known for not even a year?

He wanted her to help him rule and re-establish the krogan, give them the opportunity to prove themselves to the Council and return to the galactic community without prejudice or fear that they would be forced into a life of pointless labour as a Blood Pack member or some other mercenary group.

Good krogan jobs were few and far between, she knew many soldiers who had requested their unit only have one krogan as more would make them uncomfortable and Citadel jobs for krogan were even harder to come by. It was wrong, how the krogan were treated, and she wanted to help because seeing her lover's species treated in such a way hurt as if it was her own kind.

But the rest of her life with such responsibility? Was she ready - or even capable - of such a task?

He squeezed her even tighter, desperation clear as Seraphina's silence began to scare him. "Seraph, please," he practically begged. "If not you then no one else. No one could replace you. Will you be my mate?"

She saw the look in his eyes, the powerful feeling behind each word, and she knew the answer. The obvious answer, the one she had known all along but was unable to accept that she could truly love someone so profoundly.

"Yes, I will..."

_To Be Continued..._


	26. TwentyFifth Assignment

**Twenty-Fifth Assignment**

Weddings were complicated, everyone who was about to plan such a thing had to know the difficulty that came with preparing an event that would celebrate the union of two souls. And complicated was what Seraphina expected when she had to somehow integrate human wedding traditions into a krogan one.

Krogan didn't marry as some species did; instead they had mating ceremonies that were brilliant in their simplicity. Two krogan came together and were connected by the wrist by a piece of silk-like thread, a Shaman would then list all the promises each partner would have to live by and then the tie would be cut and the pair bonded.

To ensure it was consummated the couple merely went to a chamber at a later time. Witnesses were not even needed, as the Shaman had enough power that no one would question him/her. Compared to a human ceremony, that required witnesses and could go on for hours, it was preferable.

In fact, a krogan ceremony was what Seraphina wanted.

_"Are you sure?" Wrex had asked her. "I know humans have rings and dresses, I can get you a ring if you want and a dress... but I'm not wearing a suit."_

_She laughed, "I don't want a dress or a ring," she said. "I want to wear a robe like Bakara and speak before the Shaman. Besides, I was never one for dresses."_

He didn't argue with her, not when he was looking forwards to a traditional krogan ceremony himself. Deep down he was never keen on having her wear some white dress - especially when white seemed inappropriate at the time - and rings? What was the point of something that could be misinterpreted or easily lost?

The best kind of bond was the kind that was naked to the eye, but visible to those who knew the signs.

A krogan ceremony took only a few days to prepare, around three days at best, and was held on Tuchanka in the male - or female krogan's - clan, whichever was preferred. This ceremony took four days to prepare, as they needed to wait for all the RSVP's to return.

The only thing Seraphina wanted was her friends at the ceremony; if she didn't invite them she could only imagine the backlash. Besides, it was worth having a little human touch. In her apartment, Liara and Bakara helped Seraphina fit into the ceremonial robe. It was just like a female krogan's gown, with the same gold thread and hood that came down over her face, and was the same deep red as Wrex s crest.

Liara had picked a special gown to wear for the ceremony, long and red also, with gold thread going around the shoulders in several patterns and along the helm. She hadn't seen Garrus or Mordin or Anderson yet, so she wasn't sure how they looked.

"Are you nervous?" Liara asked. "It is a big day, after all."

"She has no need to be nervous," Bakara said. "She is to join Clan Urdnot and become my sister, why should she be worried?"

"Giving one's life to another is a huge decision," Liara remarked. "You can't expect her to not be a little nervous."

"Liara, I'm fine," Seraphina assured her. "I know what I'm getting myself into and I'm prepared for it."

"If you're sure," Liara said, unconvinced.

Seraphina turned to her friend and took her hands, "Asari mate for life too," she remarked. "When you find the love of your life you'll know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Perhaps... you're right," Liara smiled. "You've always had good judgement."

Seraphina observed her reflection and felt the smooth material of her robes. It felt so..._ right_. There was just no other way to describe how it felt to stand in a krogan's robes, knowing that in a few moments time you would promise your life to krogan. She wondered what her parents would have thought about her decision.

"Is everyone ready yet?" she asked.

"I'll call Tungel and find out," Liara opened her Omni-tool and called the genetic mutation who had fitted so neatly into the group.

She had made contact with most of her new family, except Quentius, and had taken a liking to asari culture. That day she wore a robe like a Matriarch's, long and flowing and black with a head-dress. The outfit covered her whole body, which was necessary considering how few knew of her existence.

"Hello Liara," Tungel greeted. "Is Seraphina ready?"

"Yes," Liara replied. "She looks beautiful. I hope Wrex knows how lucky he is."

"He does," Tungel laughed.

"How is everyone on your end?" Liara asked.

"We're just waiting for Anderson," Tungel said. "He's had to take some security protocols to ensure no one follows us, if anyone discovered the human Councillor was taking a normal shuttle to Tuchanka we would become targets."

"We'll head down to EDI then," Liara said. "We'll meet you there."

"Alright," Tungel said simply.

Liara disconnected the line and they left Seraphina's apartment. They took the elevator down to the dock and entered the shuttle powered by the AI. Wrex, Mordin and Garrus were inside waiting. Garrus was wearing some type of uniform, dark navy, while Mordin was in his usual armour and Wrex was in his family armour.

Wrex smiled at the sight of his human and affectionately caressed her eyebrow with his knuckle.

"You look like a true krogan," he said. "Urdnot will be proud to have you!"

"So you say," she smiled. "We both know it won't be easy to get the clan to accept me."

He grinned, "When has it ever been easy for us?"

"Where's Anderson and Tungel?" Liara asked.

"Tungel went to get him from his office," Garrus replied. "She's got more free reign now ever since the Council agreed to mark her as an endangered species."

The Council had continued to meet together to discuss Cerberus and Quentius and Anderson laid out most of Operation Cobra's assignments, giving Valern and Tevos a better understanding of all the work they had done over the months and the income they have had.

Seraphina's implants came to light, as well as Tungel's existence, and realizing the potential Tungel possessed - in having some of Giriko's memories and being part of Cerberus she could have some information she herself may not be aware of - and so they did not want her falling into the wrong hands or facing scrutiny because of what she was.

She became marked as an unidentified endangered species and only those in the Citadel security were aware of what she was, any more than that and she would be at risk. As long as she hid her appearance and tried not to draw attention, she would be allowed to roam around the Citadel.

"Let's just hope they're not late," Bakara said. "The bride-to-be will get anxious."

Tungel cheerfully skipped to the Embassies, smiling at the woman on the desk and entered Anderson's office. The lush and spacious office seemed empty, but the woman at the desk wouldn't have waved her in if Anderson had already left.

"Councillor Anderson?" she called. "Are you here? It's time to leave for Tuchanka."

Her stomach sank, something deep inside of her warning her to turn around. Something wasn't right. There was something... _wrong_. She took another step into the office, heading towards the desk, and that's when she saw it. A pool of blood.

She froze at the sight of the red liquid, pooling by the desk's leg and turning into a streak as if something was dragged.

"Anderson...?" she gasped.

She took a step forwards and caught sight of a figure slumped on the ground, head lulling forwards, a deep red patch on the chest. If she could cry she would, but Giriko didn't think of giving her tear ducts.

"Anderson?" she croaked. "No..."

She ran to him and fell her knees, her dress soaking up the blood as she fell into the puddle. Anderson clutched a gun in his one hand, with the other he tried to stop the bleeding with little luck. The wound was clean and straight, it a hit a major artery and a lung.

"Let me call the woman on the desk," Tungel cried. "We'll get help, some Med-"

"No..." he wheezed. "I'm... done for, kid. I've... lost too much blood."

"But Seraphina," Tungel said, "she can do something, she could help."

"She _can_ help," Anderson groaned. "She... and the others... have to stop... Kai Leng."

"Kai... Leng?" she gasped. "He did this? Where is he?"

"Just... get Shepard," he ordered.

"I'm not leaving you on your own," she protested.

_"Please,"_ Anderson begged. "Get Seraphina."

Against her better judgement, Tungel obeyed. She had to respect the dying wish of a commanding officer, if it had been Seraphina bleeding on the floor she would have happily obeyed. She ran out of the office and ordered the receptionist to get medical help - they couldn't save him but maybe they could help with the pain.

...

"Ah, there she is," Garrus pointed. "Tungel, what took so..."

He saw trail of blood she has leaving and felt his stomach sink. Seraphina grabbed Tungel as she ran into her arms, making sobbing noises but unable to cry.

"Tungel, what happened?" she demanded.

"Anderson... Kai Leng got him," Tungel sobbed. "He's in his office... bleeding out."

"Then why didn't you inform the receptionist?" Seraphina cried.

She pushed Tungel aside and bolted for the Embassies, Wrex and Garrus hot on her heels. Bakara and Mordin watched them disappear around the corner, Mordin turned to Tungel and he had never seen her look more distraught than she did at that moment.

"He... he said he wanted Seraphina," she whimpered. "How could I deny him that?"

Mordin patted her shoulder soothingly, for once not sure what to say.

...

They came onto his office and found a whole medical team on the scene, swarming over Anderson as they fed him oxygen and tried to fix his wound, but it was painfully obvious it was too late. Seraphina pushed her way through, knocking back those who stopped them, and fell to her knees beside him.

"Anderson..." she cried.

He looked around, his vision blurry. He saw her red eyes beneath the hood and smiled painfully, he sat up and ushered the medics away. He raised one bloody hand and Seraphina took it, squeezing it so tightly, as if she hoped to give him some of her life.

"Are you.. crying?" he teased.

"No," she quickly answered and wiped her tears away.

"It's... okay if you are," he said. "I won't... tell your parents... when I see them."

"Don't talk like that," she said. "We can..."

"You know... there's no saving me," he argued. "I'm on my last legs, kids... and I'm at peace. I've done all... that I could. The only thing... I wish I did... was agree to be... your... godparent."

"You was, Anderson," she insisted. "Maybe not officially, but to me... you was my father when I needed it."

"That's... good," he sighed in pain. "Seraph, listen. No matter what... happens, don't let... Cerberus change you."

He smiled at her, blood on the side of his lip, and slowly his eyes closed and his grasp went limp. Moments later the other Councillors arrived, just as a white body bag was led out of the room and a holographic police tape was set up.

"No... Anderson," Quentius covered his eyes. "How can this be?"

_"Kai Leng."_

He uncovered his eyes and looked up at Garrus, the Spectre had a hard scowl on his face.

"Cerberus sent Kai Leng to kill Anderson," Garrus said. "We're not sure yet, but it's probably because our operation is proving to be a nuisance."

"Then you and the rest of your team will lead the investigation," Valern ordered. "Find out how Kai Leng got in and where he went."

Garrus wanted to question why he was suddenly following Valern's orders, but he realized now was not the time and with Anderson's death there was more things he needed to be concerned with. Instead, he saluted and entered the crime scene.

Seraphina was still sat on the floor, facing the red mark on the wall where Anderson lay slumped. Wrex stood not far from her, unable to comfort her. What could he say? She had just lost the closest thing she had to father, Wrex had lost his too - but he had killed his father, so there was a bit of difference in situation.

"Valern wants us to investigate Anderson's murder," Garrus announced.

"Did she say what she wants done with Kai Leng?" Wrex asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Seraphina said.

They turned to her, surprised by the steely voice she spoke in. She stood to her feet and removed the hood, holding it in her blood hand. She slowly turned to them, her eyes glowing with a dark red pulse and the veins around her eyes had turned a bright vibrant red.

They both took a step back, surprised by the horrible look in her eyes. Is this what the Cerberus implants did? What they were doing to her?

"We're going to find Kai Leng... and we're going to kill him."

_To Be Continued...  
_

* * *

_As always thanks for reading and if you a moment to spare, leave a review. I'll hopefully upload the newest chapter Sunday, along with my new ME fanfic 'The Tank Born Diaries', which centres on Grunt and his adventures as the krogan race rebuild their reputation. But don't worry, I won't neglect Spectres._


	27. TwentySixth Assignment

**Twenty-Sixth Assignment**

_Anderson faced the 3D projections of the Councillors, handing over the last of his reports. When Operation Cobra was first initiated Quentius and Anderson agreed to share the mission reports equally, they feared that if one had too many reports that just happened to involve the small team and possible Cerberus-related activities it would arouse suspicion._

_"It seems you had taken every precaution when it came to Cerberus," Valern remarked._

_"We couldn't risk Cerberus becoming aware of our actions," Anderson replied. "It was necessary to try and keep the whole thing secret, especially when considering there are Cerberus spies everywhere."_

_"Then what we need now is to finalize our agreement," Tevos added._

_"We can do that later," Quentius said. "For now, Anderson has a wedding ceremony to attend. After the recent attack, we could all do with a break."_

_"Agreed," Tevos nodded calmly. "We shall continue this meeting tomorrow morning."_

_The images faded and Anderson closed the terminal._

_He examined his Admiral's uniform in the mirror, remembering a time when he was the captain of his own ship. Hannah and John Shepard served beneath him, they were his best fighters and closest friends, so when they brought a small child onto the ship one day he didn't order her away._

_In fact, he let her sit on the podium overlooking the galaxy map. She came on several dozen assignments, watching her parent's storm into battle victoriously and then return with a weary smile on their battered bodies. They always had a story to tell, some heroic detail she would to listen eagerly, and then she would ask to be taken to the firing range and they would teach her the tricks of a soldier._

_She stayed with Anderson and her parents, passing from station to station and ship to ship. When she turned sixteen when she was initiated into the N7 Academy. A year later her parents died when Anderson's ship was blown out of the sky by batarian Space Pirates, Hannah and John Shepard helped to evacuate everyone but themselves._

_Deep down, Anderson knew they sacrificed themselves. By the time everyone was in the escape pods, there was no room for anyone else. They knew they couldn't get away, so why allow anyone else to lose their lives?_

_"If they could see Seraph now..." he mumbled._

_The door slid open and a harsh hissing noise filled the room. The soldier in him kicked in. Anderson dived behind the desk and opened a draw, jumping to his feet he drew a Raikou Pistol from his desk and aimed it at the assassin._

_"You still got some good moves," Kai Leng said, "for an old guy."_

_"Has Cerberus finally realized that we're a threat?" Anderson sneered. "We've been stopping your operations for the past nine months and all you've done is sit back and watch."_

_"Cerberus has more than just a few dozen operations on at any time," Kai Leng answered. "You've just stopped **major** projects, the small to mid-scales operations are still running smoothly."_

_"Then we'll be sure to stop them as soon as I've taken care of you," Anderson smirked._

_Kai Leng sneered._

_He fell into a defensive position, holding the hilt of his blade against his waist, and charged. He side-stepped, making fast and bold moves as he rushed the Councillor. Anderson watched him carefully and fired a single shot, he struck Kai Leng's shoulder and he staggered._

_He swung his blade, Anderson rammed a fist into Kai Leng's elbow and the blade fell from his hand. Anderson fired another shot, striking Kai Leng in the stomach. He thought he got a clean shot, but he saw no wound, just a mark._

_"Tough armour," Anderson sneered._

_"Yeah," Kai Leng agreed. "It's got all sort of fun features."_

_He flicked his wrist and a blade slipped out from the armour's plating. _

_Anderson tried to fire another shot, but too late. The blade struck him and Anderson went still, he slowly looked down at the wound and saw his uniform darken as blood began to pour from his wound. Kai Leng roughly removed the blade and pushed the Councillor away, he hit the wall and fell to the ground._

_"Pleasure doing business with you, Councillor," Kai Leng said picked up his discarded ninjato. "I won't be seeing you again."_

_The assassin left the Councillor to bleed out on the floor, not once turning back to look at the man he had killed._

_...  
_

Seraphina stopped the vid and replayed it, she watched it again, growing colder each time. Kai Leng just _walked in,_ he just walked in with his blade and walked back out. Which only meant one thing, there was a spy within the Citadel who had sneaked Kai Leng in.

But who? Who could gain from Anderson's death and what was Cerberus' point in killing Anderson? There were many political implications of his death, but very few implications for Operation Cobra. Just because Anderson was gone did not mean Seraphina and her friends were not going to stop fighting.

Garrus tried to recover more footage from the surveillance outside of the office while Wrex tried to figure out what root Kai Leng would have taken to get to office, from there they may be able to retrace his steps and find out where he went.

She was still her wedding robe, there was no time to spare in this investigation.

Garrus entered the room, she didn't turn to him, her gaze fixated on the screen as she watched Anderson's death again and again.

"Has Mordin checked in yet?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied. "He's taken Bakara and Tungel to his lab. Tungel's in pieces."

"And Bakara?"

"She wants us to be careful, after her dealing with Cerberus she knows how dangerous they can be."

She paused the vid, Anderson remained frozen as he examined himself in the mirror, a melancholy expression crossing his brow. She wondered what he was thinking of, his last thought before his life was snuffed. Was it a happy thought? She hoped it was.

"What did you find?" she asked.

"Kai Leng has been completely wiped from the footage," he answered. "Some sort of virus or sweep that erased his image from all main terminals connected to the Citadel's mainframe."

"That includes all surveillance located around the Presidium and other wards, right?" she said.

"Yes," he nodded, "it would also explain why Kai Leng is visible in _this_ footage. Council surveillance is connected to another terminal, so whoever got Kai Leng into the Citadel has enough power to run a sweep in the entire system but not so high as to know of the separate terminal."

"Then we can rule out the remaining Councillors," Seraphina said.

"Do you really think one of the Councillors would have betrayed Anderson?" Garrus asked.

"No, not really," she replied. "But we can't rule out anyone."

Garrus watched her silently for a moment, he caught sight of the vid and sighed.

"You should stop watching that," he said. "It's not going to make you feel any better."

She turned to him, her face still thick with red veins. For a second, Garrus thought he saw a change in her eyes, a flicker of colour. But it was gone as soon as it was there. Those implants inside of her were dangerous, trying to remove them and replacing them was just as tricky.

For now she was stuck with them until they figured something out.

Wrex entered the office, carrying two boxes. He dropped them on the floor and opened the top box, pulling out a turian chest piece and a M-92 Mantis.

"Our weapons and armour," Garrus seemed glad to see his trusted chest piece. "When did you have time to get this stuff?"

"Quentius and Tevos dropped this off while I was trying to retrace Kai Leng's steps," Wrex answered.

He put the items back in the box and slid it across the floor, stopping just short of Garrus' feet. He picked up the last box and passed it to Seraphina, she took it wordlessly. He watched as she turned away and set it down on the table, not even glancing at it.

"What _did_ you find?" she asked him.

"Not much," Wrex answered. "Kai Leng would have taken the Keeper tunnels, but because the system's been wiped of his image I couldn't find out who he came in with or how he even got here."

"Who wants to bet he's still here?" Garrus said.

"Why would he still be here?" Wrex asked.

Seraphina and Garrus slipped out of the casual robes and back into their armour, Garrus answered Wrex's question as he pieced his armour together.

"It makes no sense to just kill Anderson," Garrus explained. "He leads our operation, but he's only one of two leaders. We get all our information from him and Quentius, so what if we lost them both?"

"We'd... we'd lose our information pipeline," Seraphina realized.

"Exactly," Garrus said. "It'd take us weeks to find all of their connections and then even longer to establish a link. As an added bonus, with Anderson and Quentius dead they could be replaced with Cerberus spies."

Seraphina clipped the last piece of her armour together.

"Who takes over from Anderson if he dies?" Wrex asked.

She thought for a moment, and suddenly it was so obvious who had orchestrated the whole thing. The same person had who gotten the vorcha in, the same person who had sneaked **HUMANITY NOW** in and now Kai Leng. The only person who that kind of authority to bypass systems and let terrorists in through the back door.

_"Udina."_

_...  
_

Tevos and Quentius sat in his office, waiting for further news and hopefully a lead. During such emergencies they should have been separated and hidden in special rooms contained in each respective office, but while Anderson was trying to defend his life, Quentius had filed for divorce.

"What did she say?" Tevos asked.

"She was glad," Quentius replied. "She was as miserable as me. Neither of us were happy, I even suspect she was planning on filing for divorce herself."

"That's what political marriages will do to you," she said.

"We'll go public as soon as this whole mess is sorted," Quentius promised. "We have nothing to hide, we can even tell them about Irissa."

"You're... are you sure?" she asked. "I never wanted to push you into a decision-"

"It's fine, my love," he held her hands. "I've waited too long for this moment."

He moved in for a kiss, the first to be shared without fear of discovery, when his office door opened. He swore under his breath and got to his feet, approaching the human who stood in the open doorway.

"What is it, Udina?" he asked.

"I just wished to know when my title as Councillor would come into effect," Udina replied.

"Anderson hasn't been dead for no more than hour and already you want to pry the title from him!" Quentius snarled. "Get out of my sight Udina, before I have a vote taken and a new human given the title."

Udina scowled, "You either initiate my status now or-" the air shimmered beside him and the assassin Kai Leng appeared. "-or I'll have to kill you."

"You..." Quentius clenched his fists. "You're behind this!? You killed Anderson because Cerberus told you to?"

Tevos lay low, trying to conceal her presence as she called for backup.

"Anderson was killed because he wasn't doing anything right," Udina snapped. "Humanity needs to elevate, be treated as equals!"

"You have colonies, Spectre's, a place on the Council, what more could you want?" Quentius demanded.

"The entire universe," Udina replied coldly. "We'll rule this universe and put everyone else beneath us."

"You're insane," Quentius gasped.

"Maybe..." Udina shrugged. "But you're dead."

Kai Leng raised his hand, revealing the yellow glow in his palm that could only be a Palm Blaster. Tevos got to her feet and ran for her turian lover. The blaster powered up with a faint whine, Quentius turned to run, and Kai Leng fired. Quentius was pushed to the ground and a weight fell on him.

"You missed," Udina sighed in disappointment.

"I got one of them," Kai Leng retorted.

Quentius saw the body that so protectively held onto him, and then he saw the patch of red. He grabbed Tevos, holding her in his arms as her blood trickled down her arms and onto the floor. He saw the hole in her chest and knew there was nothing he could do.

"You bastards!" he roared. "I'll kill you! I swear, by the Spirits, I will kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try, cuttlebone," Kai Leng sneered.

He fired up his Palm Blaster once more, taking aim at the mourning turian. A shot was fired, missing Kai Leng's head by a few inches. He turned, grabbing his sword, and was tackled to the ground by a very angry krogan. Udina reached for his gun, a shot was fired and his fingers were blasted into a bloody oblivion.

He screamed in agony, dropping the gun as blood oozed from the red stumps. Seraphina and Garrus grabbed Udina by the arms and threw him to the ground, forcing his arms behind his back and cuffed him. Seraphina took his gun, aiming it at the back of his head.

"Shepard, wait!" Garrus ordered. "We need him alive - _for now_."

Her hands trembled as she forced the gun away, it took every ounce of her strength not to kill him for he had done. She glared at him and smacked him in the back of the head with the butt. Udina fell into unconsciousness, a small red puddle forming around his wrecked hand.

"You didn't say I couldn't hit him," she smirked.

Garrus smiled at her and he saw the flicker again, in her right eye, a patch of blue. He frowned slightly. There was a loud roar and Wrex stumbled from the assassin, he clutched his arm and fired at Kai Leng. He ran for the window, diving through the glass and falling out of sight.

Seraphina followed, jumping through the hole and falling down onto a ledge. Kai Leng appeared beside her, firing a blast. She jumped out of the way and fired a shot at him, he twisted his body, dodging the shot. There was a shot from above and Kai Leng was caught in the shoulder, he fell back as the armour was broken into pieces and blood poured from the wound.

Seraphina glanced up and saw Garrus with his trusted Mantis, she smiled at him.

"Why do you side with these creatures?" Kai Leng hissed.

"They have more humanity than some people I know," she answered.

"Will you kill me if you catch me?" he asked her.

"...No," she said, surprising herself. "I'll let Quentius have that honour."

Though she did not feel it, the veins from her face softened and vanished and her right eye turned completely blue, a contrast to the renegade in her heart. She did think she would kill Kai Leng, he deserved it, but then she stopped and took a step back.

Garrus wanted information about Senn Giriko and Kai Leng could give it to him, Quentius wanted revenge and she would let him have it. There was a part of her that wanted revenge for Anderson, but it wouldn't make her feel better. Anderson was dead, what would killing Kai Leng accomplishment?

A small moment of happiness. Fleeting and pathetic, the brief feeling would never replace him. What she wanted was to see him suffer, make him pay for his crimes, maybe then she could be satisfied. Besides, Kai Leng was just a tool. The one responsible for all the pain was Udina and she was going to be damn sure he faced judgement.

"Let's finish this," she said. "I'm tired of looking at you."

Kai Leng charged towards her, roaring in anger. Seraphina stood waiting, her gun raised, but she didn't fire. She grinned at him. He stopped, sensing something was wrong, and tried to pull back. As he did, a shadow fell over him, and krogan landed on him.

There was a crunch of bone and the harsh snap of a sword and Kai Leng went still. Wrex, still comfortably sat on top of him, examined the unmoving human.

"Is he dead?" he asked.

"I... don't think so," she smirked. "Good job, by the way. The krogan cannonball should be taught by your military."

He smirked at her, noting the change of eye colour, but said nothing.

...

Tevos was growing weaker, even with the help of the medical team there was nothing they could do to ease her pain. As Wrex landed on Cerberus' top assassin, C-Sec and a qualified medical team led by Mordin arrived. They apprehended Udina and Kai Leng, both of whom were too injured to fight, and tried to fix the damage done to Tevos.

"You are wasting your time," she said. "I am beyond saving, please leave me with Quentius."

"Yes, ma'am," Mordin saluted and left with his team, taking the traitor and assassin with them.

Wrex grabbed Seraphina's arm, "Come on," he said. "We should go too."

She nodded wordlessly and she followed Wrex and Garrus out of the room.

Quentius held her closer, cradling her head. "What are we going to do about Irissa?" he asked.

"Tell her... I died taking care of her... father," she replied.

"I'll take care of her," he promised. "No one will harm her."

"I know.. you will," she painfully raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. "Just hold me like this... until the Goddess comes."

He leaned his head forwards, planting a kiss on her forehead, and did as she asked. He held her there... until the Goddess came for her.

...

_An Hour Later_

Wrex and Seraphina sat in the lower offices of the Citadel, in the newly established Registry Office of the new Wedding & Partnership Ward. It was still new and fresh, with that kind of new car smell. Some offices were still under contruction and they were a little understaffed, but it was quiet, which was good.

They sat on a bench outside the office, still in their armour and with the added edition of a silken thread that tied them by the wrist. Bakara had returned to Tuchanka, Garrus was waiting for Kai Leng to wake in order to question him. Tevos had been taken away nearly forty minutes ago.

On a terminal, Kelly Wong continued with the day's report.

_"-Councillor Tevos and Councillor Anderson were murdered today by Cerberus assassin Kai Leng in a traitorous act initiated by Anderson's adviser, Donnel Udina. Both Leng and Udina are now in custody and an on-going investigation into Cerberus-"_

"Sorry," Wrex said suddenly. "This wasn't the ceremony I had planned."

"It's okay," she held his hand. "With what's happened today... I'd be happy to just have this."

She raised her wrist slightly, examining the red thread.

"I want just a little piece of happiness before this day is over," she added. "I want to be able to attend Anderson's funeral as Urdnot Seraphina. Knowing him, he wouldn't want his death to disrupt our plans."

He smiled at her and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You _do_ know your one eye has changed colour, right?"

"What?!"

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_I recently said in a previous chapter that I was working on a new ME fanfic about Grunt, since then I have developed it and it has become the third of my 'After ME3' alongside Seashells and Platform, the only difference is that Grunt's story will be on-going. So if you like my fics - and Grunt - please check out The Tank Born Diaries: story/story_ ?storyid=8468476&chapter=1  
_

_P.S I promise not to neglect this fic :)  
_


	28. TwentySeventh Assignment

**Twenty-Seventh Assignment**

Flat line.

It was the sound most hated, the end of a life followed by one of the most annoying sounds conceived. A whine. Of all things to go out on, it was to be a whine. Staring at the faint green line, Garrus was reminded of a human saying: _'It ends not with bang, but with a whimper.'_

Kai Leng certainly would not have approved of this finale.

In the next room, Donnel Udina lay on his bed, his face contorted in pain and froth in his mouth as the poison hidden within his canines had ended his life. Kai Leng looked very much the same, but in his attempt to save his life he had torn off his restrains and tried to get away.

He now lay on the floor, hand stretched as he tried to reach the door. By the time the doctors arrived it was too late. They had lost the only leads they had. Garrus left the room and the clean-up crew rushed in, he stormed down the hall and stopped just before the exit.

He punched the wall, hearing the crunch of bone as he broke his knuckles.

"How the hell am I supposed to find Giriko now?" he hissed.

...

Somewhere in the large hall a light was switched on, a small patch of yellow that lit up the beautiful silver hull of the ship. Slowly, more lights came on and as the hall was illuminated Operation Cobra examined the ship with awe similar to a child with a new present.

The SSV Normandy SR-1. And it was all theirs.

_"All you need now is a crew," Quentius had said. "The terms of Valern's agreement was that this little unit of ours expands, so look through the files and pick whoever you want."_

They hadn't spent long examining the files and mission reports, they all had a mutual agreement on what sort of team they would be piecing together. They wanted people they knew they could trust, allies who had helped them in battle or in some other way or those who owed them.

After only an hour they had contacted five individuals, half an hour later they had gotten a reply. Everyone was on board. Valern added some other crew men, a chef, a few engineers and a yeoman. EDI was downloaded into the Normandy's system so a pilot was not needed.

Nearly two weeks after Anderson's and Tevos' death and they had been replaced by Anita Goyle and Irissa. Anita was a well-known human ambassador before Udina had taken her position and Irissa was the child of Quentius and Tevos, something that only came to light after Tevos' death.

Valern was annoyed such a thing had been kept a secret and at first she demanded Irissa step down, she was clearly worried about the thought of a family sharing a title. The asari, on the other hand, refused to nominate any other candidate.

Irissa was young, but she was as strong and intelligent as her parents. She had proved herself thus far by pushing aside her feelings towards her parents to focus on Cerberus, even now she and the other Councillors had begun an investigation to worm out any other traitors who may lay hidden in C-Sec or any other position.

_"Who's going to be in charge?"_

That was the next question. A new ship was easily arranged, as was declaring Cerberus an intergalactic threat, the new crew was left to the original members of Operation Cobra. But who was to lead this new team into battle against Cerberus?

_"Shepard, of course," Wrex declared. "Commander Shepard."_

By the time Wrex had declared her leader, she was Urdnot-Shepard Seraphina (it was required by the new law she kept her human name, as it was required for other races to keep remnants of their own names), but Valern and the other Councillors didn't seem to care.

_"Very well," Irissa had said. "From now on you shall be Commander Shepard, captain of the Normandy and leader of Operation Cobra."_

_"Have you anything to add?" Anita inquired._

_"Only one thing," Seraphina said. "We are no longer Operation Cobra."_

_"Then what do you want to be called?" Valern asked._

"Tell me again," Garrus said. "Why are we called Heracles Company?"

"In Greek myth Cerberus was tamed by Heracles," Seraphina replied. "It just seemed appropriate."

"Are we going to actually go in the ship?" Wrex asked. "We've been staring at it for the past ten minutes."

"Right..." she said. "I'm still getting used to the idea of this being _my_ ship."

"Wait until you meet your crew," Garrus smirked.

They entered the ship and took the elevator down to the Quarters and they entered the mess, finding the five new members of the Heracles Company sat awaiting their new orders at the table. Seraphina did a quick head count, silently checking her invisible register:

* The Justicar Samara

* Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

* Liara T'soni

* Feron

* EDI

* Tungel U.S.V

Mordin was in the Med-Bay, for now he could get acquainted with his new environment before Tungel was sent up with him. Liara and Feron could have the office, Tali was to be assigned to engineering. As for Samara, Seraphina was confident she would find a spot to nest.

As her new crew looked at her expectantly, Seraphina knew she had to think of a rousing speech, something to get them in the spirit. They were going on a mission to destroy an organization that had caused so much pain, where Cerberus opened a wound they would seal it.

"I know this is unusual," she said. "I never for once thought I would be teamed up with a turian and krogan, yet here we are today, a collection of aliens that have put aside whatever feelings we have to face a greater enemy - an enemy that will do everything within its power to destroy your families, your loved ones. Already we have lost those we have cared for, mothers, daughters... fathers."

Seraphina dropped her gaze for a split second, remembering Anderson and his dying breath. She clenched her fists and a hard, steely gaze entered her eyes. The look of a Commander, of someone willing to do the impossible.

"Cerberus has tried to incite war, they have tried to tear break our spirits and turn everything we love into ash and dust. I say the time has come to show Cerberus the pain of loss. We shall tear Cerberus down bit-by-bit until all that is left is a cowering man in broken armour."

Samara stood and fell bowed before Seraphina.

"By the code I will serve you Shepard," she swore. "Your choices are my choices. Your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code."

"What she said," Feron smirked. "I'm not really a fighter, but I sure as hell can unearth what information you need."

"Same here," Tali offered. "This ship will be the best the universe has ever seen."

"I couldn't ask anymore of you," Seraphina smiled. "You can all return your regular duties, if something comes up we'll tell you."

Samara stood and gave a slight salute and vanished out of sight, slowly the rest of the crew followed and it was just the three of them, standing before an empty table. Seraphina sat and they joined her, listening to the hum of the Normandy as it left the Citadel docking bay and entered the dark space.

"Well, we always said we wanted a bigger ship," Garrus said light-heartedly.

"Yeah," Seraphina sighed.

"Something wrong?" Wrex asked.

"It's..." she leaned back in her chair, staring up at the dark ceiling. "I know it sounds stupid, but before now it was all so black and white. Anderson and Quentius would tell us where to go, we'd beat up the baddies and then we'd go home and drink to our victory. Now though it's like everything's turned grey."

"It's so easy to see the galaxy in black and white," Garrus remarked "But grey? I don't know what to do with grey."

"This was never going to be easy," Wrex told her. "You're an N7 Graduate. They trained you to lead, to take charge and command. They never said it was going to be easy, but it's going to be okay, you know why?"

She looked at him, frowning slightly. "Why?" she asked.

"Because you're Urdnot-Shepard!" he grinned. "Commander Urdnot-Shepard, the best of krogan and human. How could we possibly lose?"

She smiled at him, "You're right," she said. "But don't forget our sharp-shooter over there, we've done this together as a team and we'll keep fighting as a team."

"Just like Tungel's name," Wrex smirked. "U-S-V."

"What _does_ that stand for?" Garrus asked.

"Urdnot-Shepard-Vakarian," she answered. "The best damn fighters the universe will ever know."

"And fear," Wrex added.

The intercom buzzed and EDI's voice filled the quarters.

"I have received new information from the Councillors," she announced. "They have discovered a new Cerberus base. I have set new coordinates for the Lazarus Research Station."

...

_Deep Space, the Lazarus Research Station_

Observing the terminal, Giriko ignored the cries of pain coming from the table just a metre from him. Just a metre away, a human was strapped to a table, his torso ripped open as a dozen mechanical arms from above dived into the contents of his stomach and removed organs and replaced others.

It was a messy progress, it would leave many scars, and worse still Giriko had not yet found a strong enough drug to keep the patient unconscious for the time necessary to conduct the experiment. He wished he would soon find something to keep the man alseep, the screaming could get awfully distracting.

Now though, not even the man's tormented cries could distract Giriko as he caught sight of the Normandy approaching.

"So they received my fake signal," he smiled. "Excellent. I _so_ want a piece of Garrus Vakarian, I can only imagine the implications of his DNA in my creations."

He glanced to an image of the turian soldier pinned to his a wall, an old image of Vakarian taken on his first day of military training. He was just fifteen, he still had innocence in his eyes. Giriko hated that look. He reached across and pressed a bloody finger to the image, watching as it rolled down the turian's face.

"Soon," he purred. "Soon I will finish Project Lazarus and Cerberus will learn to fear _me_."

_To Be Continued.._

* * *

_I had to finish there, I had no choice. This chapter was just going to be **so** long otherwise! This is the pivotal point, the moment when the plot of Garrus' own spin-off story takes shape. I didn't want to squeeze it in. Please comment and review and tell me if you're interested in reading's Garrus' story._

_Also, I'll most likely submit a new **Spectres** chapter along with a new chapter for **'The Tank Born Diaries'** in order to keep fans of both series - if there are any - happy._


	29. TwentyEighth Assignment

**Twenty-Eighth Assignment**

The Normandy docked beside the large research station and Garrus had a sinking feeling. It felt something like a hot prickling feeling at the base of his skull, a human would have called it a sixth sense. Garrus just knew whatever it was, it was trouble.

He entered the station's docking bay, noting how empty it was. There wasn't a ship in sight. Had Cerberus detected them already? Impossible, a station this big couldn't be evacuated so quickly. There was something seriously wrong.

_Maybe I should go back to the ship,_ he thought.

He turned to leave and was grabbed by Wrex and Seraphina, grabbing either arm they hawled him back into the empty bay.

"Where are you going?" Wrex asked.

"I'd rather stay on the ship," he said.

"You can go with Samara and Liara if you'd rather explore another part of the station," she offered. "They're taking another entrance, further ahead."

"I'd rather not go," he answered.

They stopped and released him.

"What the hell is your problem?" Wrex growled. "We're on a Cerberus research station and you don't seem to care."

"There's something seriously wrong with this place," Garrus protested. "There are no ships and we didn't face any opposition as we tried to dock. There's something wrong, I think someone's playing us."

"You really think so?" Seraphina asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "I think this a set-up..."

Seraphina had a look around, trying to spot anything that looked like another living person or even a vessel. But it was empty and cold, there was nothing here. Was the station empty? The Councillors wouldn't have sent them to a station that was empty, there had to be a reason they sent them here.

Seraphina pressed the comm in her ear, calling up Samara and Liara.

"What have you found?" she asked.

"Nothing," Liara answered. "The place is empty. It's just filled with empty boxes."

"Then return to the ship," Seraphina ordered. "We'll meet you there in five."

She disconnected the line and had one last look at the station. Just on the other side of the room was a door, where it lead she didn't know, but she was determined to find out. There was something about the whole situation that said 'ambush'.

"EDI, when Samara and Liara dock disconnect the ship from the ship," she ordered.

"What?" Wrex gasped. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Garrus is right," she said. "Someone set this up, the message we recieved must have been fake. I want to find out who the hell is playing with us."

She pulled out her pistol and headed for the door. Garrus sighed.

"Couldn't she have given me the chance to get off the ship first?" he mumbled.

...

Giriko sat on his chair, swinging back and forth, watching the trio leave the docking bay and take the elevator up to the next floor. They were coming right for him, whether they realized it or not. Giriko heard a mettalic clicking, he turned to face the spider-like professor.

Krona had been human once, or something very much like one, before Giriko cut off his legs and had Krona fitted with two new robotic limbs that extended into spider legs. There were a few other changes too, minor in Giriko's opinion. Just some modifications to the face taken from some remaining Reaper designs, even his eyes had been changed.

The only thing that was still Krona's was his hair, black and spiky, unkept in appearance. It was a small victory, but that soon will change once Giriko had the time.

"Our guests have arrived, Krona," Giriko smiled. "Is everything prepared?"

"Labs 2, 5 and 9 are free for you to use," Krona answered.

"Lab 2?" Giriko repeated. "Isn't that where Subject 28 was kept?"

"Yes," Krona replied. "She died, her body rejected the foreign organs."

"What happened to the subjects kept in Labs 5 and 9?" Giriko asked.

"The subject in Lab 5 slit his throat," Krona made a cutting gesture with his metal talon. "The subject in Lab 9 died during an operation, I've moved them both to the morgue and recycled the organs."

"Excellent," Giriko smiled. "Then I'll move everything into Phase Two."

Krona turned to leave. Giriko raised a finger, like one would to punish a child.

"By the way," he said, "if I find that your lying - that Subject 28 is alive - I'll kill both you and her."

"I'd never lie to you, Giriko," Krona said. "You know I wouldn't."

Giriko smiled at him, "I know!" he teased. "I was just making sure."

Krona scuttled away and headed to Lab 2, preparing the blood soaked table for its new subject. He glanced at the vent in the corner of the room, then the small camera in the corner of the room. He had only five minutes before the loop was disconnected and normal feed would resume.

"Is it ready yet?" the small voice from the vent said.

"Yes," he replied. "Go down to the spot, I'll meet you there."

"Is this right?" the voice asked. "Using these people as a distraction... they'll suffer if we leave them."

"And if we stay then we're dead!" he cried. "What would you have me do, Ira?"

"... Do what you think is right," she said. "What you _know_ is right. I wouldn't ask any more of you."

Krona sighed and pressed a hand to his face. Somewhere in the station, Giriko flooded a small elevator with a powerful gas and he had three new test subjects. What was he supposed to do? It was either them or him, and he made a promise to protect her, he couldn't go back on his word.

...

Garrus felt sick.

He couldn't remember what happened, not after the elevator, was there some kind of gas? He couldn't remember. He wished he could, because he knew he needed to do... some_thing_. He just wasn't sure what. He opened his eyes and was met by a bright light, shining down on his eyes.

He tried to cover his eyes, but his arms resisted. He strained against something and realized he was strapped down. Garrus felt panic rise up like a cold snake, he took a deep breath and reverted back to his early training. He remembered to stay calm and assess the situation.

He looked around quickly, he was in some kind of lab, a dozen nasty looking tools set up beside him. His arms and torso were bare, in the place of his armour was a series of pen lines, directions for where to cut and what to take.

"This can't be good..."

...

Seraphina woke up in the same situation as Garrus, strapped down and with horrible lines on her bare torso. She didn't have time to feel self-conscious, the man beside her with a hand-held buzz-saw and platis visor was a bigger concern at the moment.

"Senn Giriko, I presume?" she grimaced.

"You recognize me?" he smiled. "Good! I hate imformality between myself and my subjects!"

"Subjects?" she growled. "I'm not your subject! Release me now or-"

"Please, threats don't work on me," he said. "I'm not scared of you, Urdnot-Shepard."

She smirked, "You should be."

She created a biotic ball in her hand and it struck Giriko, throwing him across the room and he struck the wall. He hit the ground and gasped, spitting out blood that hit the visor. He forced himself to his feet and dropped the saw. He examined the blood on his visor and threw it aside.

"Impressive," he said. "Even under such pressure you manage to strike back. I'll leave you until I figure out a way to contain you safely."

"If you hurt my friends-!" she warned.

"Enough threats," he huffed. "Please, you're starting to annoy me."

He left the lab and Seraphina tried to escape, pulling at the restraints. She could try a biotic field, but it would need to be minnute, so small it would break just the cuffs. She concentrated, trying to form her escape, and hoping she wasn't too late.

...

Walking along the runaway, Krona made his escape. If only he had his real legs, they could carry him faster than these stupid spinly things. He tried to hurry along, tried to ignore the pods below him, but he couldn't. He kept thinking of Ira and what she said.

_"... Do what you think is right. What you **know** is right. I wouldn't ask any more of you."_

He stopped and sighed. What he _thought_ was right and what he _knew_ was right were two different things; he thought it was right to try and escape, to leave everyone else behind to their fate. But he knew it was only right to try and help everybody else.

But that would mean disobeying Giriko, disobeying the system. Disobeying the system was bad. It was-

Krona punched himself across the face, shutting down his inner voice. Giriko had reprogrammed Krona during one his experiments, whenever doubt or rebellion crept in Krona would automatically push those thoughts aside and continue obeying without question.

But Krona was getting better at disobeying, ever since Ira taught him how.

He sighed loudly and turned back around, rushing back to the labs and hoping he would make it in time.

...

Garrus heard a noise, something mettalic, crawling towards him. He twisted his head and saw a strange human in the doorway, the man looked around quickly, as if checking for danger, and walked over to Garrus. He undid the restraints. Garrus jumped away from the bizzare human and searched for his weapons.

"Your gun is in that box over there," the man pointed to a large container. "Giriko doesn't like to seperate subjects from their possessions."

"What if... _subjects..._ got hold of their weapons?" Garrus asked.

"Most of them kill themselves," he answered. "Those who escape die from the pain of their new bodies."

Garrus approached the container, keeping his eye on the man as he opened the box and reached inside. He caught hold of a weapon and slowly pulled out his Mantis.

"Why are you helping me?" Garrus asked. "Won't you be punished?"

"I'm running away," he said. "I'm going to euthanize the patients and then leave."

"Euthanize?" Garrus said. "Is there no way to save them?"

He shook his head, "The stronger subjects are moved onto another facility," he answered. "Those who are left are either spare parts or playthings. This is better. They wouldn't be able to survive the outside world."

What he said was all true, none of the specimens _would_ be able to survive the outside world without professional help. And that's why Specimen 28 - _Ira_ - was different. She _could_ survive because he had fixed her, she was still terribly imbalanced, but she would live with his help.

The others had no chance.

"I need to ask a favour," the man said, "if I release your friends will you help me put these creatures out of their misery?"

"What would I need to do?" Garrus asked.

"Take me up to the main lab," he answered. "From there I can shut down life support."

"What about escaping?" Garrus said.

"I'll get out," he replied. "Somehow. Don't worry about me."

"Okay then," Garrus collected his weapons and threw on his armour. "Take me to my friends."

...

Giriko should have felt dissapointed, but he knew it was inevitable before Krona rebelled against him. Krona wasn't like Giriko, he was rational and had 'morals'. He had hoped Krona's spirit would have broken after a few experiments and memory wipes, but he underestimated the human spirit.

Strange, that wasn't like him.

Now Giriko had two options:

- Escape and let Krona go free and destroy his subjects.

- Or put up some sort of fight.

He was rather keen on the last option.

...

They found Wrex and Seraphina easily and after they put on some armour and collected their things, they followed Professor C. Krona up to the next floor. The spider-like man was getting aggitated, Garrus could tell by the way he clenched his. He wanted to get out as soon as possible.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I just want out," Krona sighed. "I'm tired of all this."

"Then why did you agree to help Giriko in the first place?" Seraphina demanded.

"I... can't remember," Krona answered. "I've had my memory wiped so many times I don't even know what the C in my name stands for."

They left the elevator and came to a long corridor, they boxed Krona in and slowly took the long walk. They entered the lab, a large area filled with terminals and files. Krona went over to an orange terminal and logged in, bypassing the security locks.

"This feels _too_ easy," Wrex said.

"Giriko has no security," Krona explained. "Nor additional staff. He feared the scientists would turn against him and the guards or robots would be turned against him."

"What is the point of this place?" Seraphina asked.

"The Lazarus Research Station was originally created to house cryo-patients," Krona answered. "Those who had been traumatically injured or faced life-threatening illness' in their time could be awakened in this glorious age of technology and be cured and fixed. Giriko needed new test subjects and so took over the station. The cryo-patients were subjects for his vision - the perfect human."

"The ultimate human?" Garrus frowned. "Sounds like something Cerberus would do."

"The Shadow Alliance is a seperate entity to Cerberus," Krona corrected. "Giriko broke away some time ago, but even when he was a part of Cerberus his work was... frowned up."

"I find it hard to believe Cerberus would look down on creating the _'perfect human'_," Seraphina remarked.

"It wouldn't be so hard to believe if you saw his results," Krona argued. "Giriko used alien parts to create his soldiers, your friend 'Tungel' is just one of his experiments. The cryo-patients were the next stage, humans given alien organs in order to make them stronger."

"No wonder Cerberus didn't approve," she said. "Anything alien is a crime."

The terminal dinged.

"It's done," he announced. "I can show you another way to your ship. No doubt Giriko has sealed the docking bay."

They quickly left the lab and made their way down to the lowest levels. Krona tried not to think of all the lives he had just ended, he tried to think of it another way. It was like putting down a tired and sick dog, it was fair.

Somehow the thought didn't ease his conscious, not when he knew there was a chance he could have saved them. He had saved Ira, but that was out of love and dumb luck. Giriko paid no attention to Ira because of the severe condition she had been in, even when she was fixed she was still broken, if not for Krona she would be dead.

"You can't save everyone," Seraphina patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You did the right thing."

"Debatable," Krona said, "but perhaps in this situation you're right."

They came to the bottom floor and Krona led them through a door, they came to another long corridor overlooking a runway where a small shuttle was docked. Beneath the runway were hundreds of tube-like pods, icy cold, and containing humans beings.

"Giriko would experiment on them and then put them back in the pods," Krona said. "Now though, the life-support has been turned off. They'll die quickly and painlessly."

He shook his head, as if to rid himself of the bad thoughts.

"Follow this corridor and it will take you to the second docking bay," Krona ordered. "It should be safe."

"Will you be okay?" Garrus asked.

"I should be," Krona smiled weakly.

He turned and dissapeared, reapearing moments later on the runway. He made his way towards the shuttle, something like relief crossing his face. As he neared the shuttle, he paled and stopped. He turned and Giriko was suddenly behind him, brandishing a gun.

"I can't let you leave, Krona!" Giriko growled. "That girl is half my research! She's all that left! Give me Ira and I'll let you go."

"You really don't know how to bargain," Krona said.

A shot ran out and Giriko stumbled back, he clutched his arm and fell, landing on a pod below. There was a loud crack and he fell to the floor, going still. Krona gasped and looked up at his guardian angel, the turian with a sniper rifle.

Krona smiled his thanks and ran for the shuttle, a young human helped him inside. She was probably a few years younger than Seraph, with short and scruffy white hair and red eyes. She glanced up at Garrus and smiled. And then they were gone.

The shuttle took off and Professor Krona escaped Giriko's mad clutches.

...

_Later, the Normandy_

Garrus sat in the observation deck, staring at the infinite reality of space. He thought of the day and his failure to apprehend Giriko, who had dissapeared after Krona got away. He wondered if he could have done anything differently, could he have shot Giriko in the head instead?

No, if he had killed Giriko then there would be no trial and Giriko would have been spared a greater justice. He got away today only to be captured tommorow, that's how Garrus liked to think of it. He wondered if Krona and his companion were okay, if they had gotten away, if they were safe.

He had a lot of questions, he wanted to know more about Giriko and the Shadow Alliance and what exactly Giriko had planned for when he created his '_perfect_ human'. And Krona had the answers. He would meet Krona again, Garrus was sure of it, and then he would get his answers.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Expect Chapter 03 of The Tank Born Diaries to be submitted sometime tommorow. Please review :)  
_


	30. TwentyNinth Assignment

**Twenty-Ninth Assignment**

Seraphina had never been fond of solo-missions, which seemed odd coming from a Spectre. They were known for preferring to work alone, but ever since she had been assigned to work alongside Wrex and Garrus working alone had never had the same allure.

Sometimes, though, it was required she go on a solo-mission. But just because it was required didn't mean she had to like it.

"Where are we going again, EDI?" she asked. "I hate riding in this shuttle on my own. You're not even part of the system anymore."

"I may not be part of the shuttle's mainframe, but I am still in control of it," EDI responded.

"In control and being part of it is different," Seraphina remarked.

EDI wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"So tell me, why am I flying out to meet the man in a Cerberus ship?" she asked.

"The man, Ben Hislop, is fleeing Cerberus after he compromised a research project and freed its scientists," EDI explained. "The Alliance promised him a deal if he told us all he knew about Cerberus. His shuttle was sabotaged by Cerberus and he is now floating not far from the colony known as Horizon."

"Keep all lines of communication open when I board the vessel," Seraphina ordered. "I don't care if he's fled Cerberus, I won't trust him until I know all the facts."

"Yes, Shepard," EDI obeyed.

They approached the ship and docked besides it. For an escape vessel it was awfully big, especially considering the man's circumstances. Alarm bells began to ring, but she didn't jump to any conclusions - not yet anyway. There was still a lot she didn't know.

They connected the docking tube and Seraphina took the short distance to the mysterious Cerberus ship. She readied her weapon and entered the darkened hold. Passing through she followed the directions on her Omni-tool and kept her eyes open for Ben Hislop.

"Where exactly is he?" she asked.

"Mr Hislop can be located in the CIC," EDI responded.

"What kind of ship has a Combat Information Centre?" Seraphina asked. "Of all the ships to steal, why take this one? It's a combat vessel, it's useless for getaways."

"You suspect-"

The transmission was suddenly cut. Seraphina tried to reconnect, but kept receiving some message about **'INTERFERANCE.'** Just what she expected from a mysterious ship from Cerberus. She continued with her mission, pushing aside her thoughts for the moment, and found the CIC.

It was an average sized room with a table in the centre, upon approaching the table was lowered into the ground and a blue energy field appeared. She saw something like this before, it was a type of telecommunication system using projections. They were expensive and this one appeared to have been left for her.

She approached the field and hesitantly entered it. Before her an image of a man appeared, he was dressed in a suit and smoking a cigarette. His eyes were the strangest tone of blue she had ever seen and his hair was smooth and white, despite the tone of his hair he didn't appear quite as old as one might have thought.

"Ben Hislop?" she presumed.

"Not quite," the man answered. "Ben Hislop was once an acquaintance of mine."

"_Was?_ Then he's dead?" she said.

"He's been dead for years," the man answered. "But his name is usefull for information gathering. By sending out that distress call under his name I learnt a lot about you."

Seraphina frowned, "Who are you?" she demanded. "Are you with Cerberus?"

He took a deep drag and exhaled a large puff of grey, as he removed the cancer stick from his mouth there was the faintest trace of a smile.

"I _am_ Cerberus," he said.

She lowered her weapon, realizing just what exactly was happening. She was face-to-face with the Illusive Man, the man she had been chasing since the start, even if she hadn't been aware of it. Seraphina knew well who the Illusive Man was. Tungel had shared the information with the rest of her family, but to think he would come to her...

"What do you want?" she asked. "You've been hiding in the shadows for so long and now you show yourself, why? What are you planning?"

"If I told you my plans you would just leave and never hear my offer," he replied.

"Offer?" she snorted. "You expect me to accept one of your deals? I know how you work. I've seen it first-hand. You honestly think I would help you after everything you've done?"

"You judge me too harshly," he said. "I'm just looking out for humanity - someone has to and that pathetic Councillor Anderson wasn't doing a good enough job."

"Don't you dare insult the memory of a human who was five times the man you will ever be!" she growled. "If you hate aliens so much why don't you and the rest of your xenophobic friends go and live on a colony far away? That why no one would have to be bothered by you."

"You don't seem to understand," he said. "This galaxy is unfair to everyone. Those who prosper are either asari, turian, salarian, volus or hanar. What about the drell who were taken as slaves by the hanar?"

"They aren't slaves," she argued. "They choose to work for the hanar and find it a great honour to be chosen for a duty."

"Very much the words of an indoctrinated force," he commented. "Then what about the krogan or vorcha? What about the batarians? The krogan's were uplifted and then given the Genophage when they got out of hand; the turians didn't stop to think of a diplomatic result. The vorcha are treated like scum because of what they are and the batarians are sign-posted as thieves and pirates."

He stubbed out his cigarette and stood, taking a step towards her. "Those who prosper always push down those who struggle," he continued. "Humans have only come so far because of the First Contact War, because we feel we are owed. But aren't every other race owed? You can see my point, can't you? My goal is to uplift humanity before the aliens have a chance to push us down."

Of course she saw his point, but that didn't mean his work was justified. She felt bad about the way batarians and vorcha and krogan were treated, but the krogan and batarians were trying to fix it while the vorcha did nothing. Progress was slow and delicate; it had to be taken in measures and control.

If nothing was done about it then nothing would change, she knew that and every other creature with a good set of brain cells knew it too. There would always be unfairness and struggle, but the point of it all was to fight injustice and secure your place amongst the top.

Killing and sabotaging other races to secure humankind's own position was not the way to do it.

"You're going about it the wrong way!" she protested. "If you want humanity to succeed don't go kill our Councillors or try to poison the krogan or incite war! All you're doing is making things worse!"

"Perhaps," he said, "but the present doesn't always affect the future. I could have incited war, but what if the geth and quarian saw better? You assume all our present actions will greatly affect the future, yet it doesn't always work that way."

"Can we just get to the point?" she asked. "I'm a busy woman and you've wasted enough of my time."

"Very well," the Illusive Man said. "My offer is simple - act as my spy. You can keep your krogan boyfriend and that bizarre troop you call a family, but you inform me of every mission you are given. In return for your service, your family will not be harmed."

"You don't have the right to go around making threats!" she snarled. "You come near any of my family and I will find you and kill you, understand me? We're coming for you and once we're finished there will be nothing left of Cerberus!"

"Is that your final offer?" he asked.

She glared at him.

"Very well," he snapped. "You've dug your own grave, Shepard, and the reaper will come for his due."

She smirked, "Then I'll be sure to send him your way."

He shook his head and turned from her, the projection shutting down as his image faded. Seraphina's Omni-tool buzzed and informed her of a reconnection to the server.

"EDI, can you hear me?" she asked.

"Yes," EDI responded. "We intercepted a Cerberus system and were suddenly cut off. All systems have returned to original functionality."

"Excellent," Seraphina said. "I'm returning to the ship. This mission was a bust."

"Ben Hislop was not there?" EDI asked.

"Ben Hislop has been dead for years," Seraphina answered. "But I did learn something... _interesting_. Call a meeting. Tell them Cerberus is coming for us."

"As you order," EDI responded.

Seraphina walked away from the circular device, she glanced back at the spot where the Illusive Man's image once stood. She couldn't get his face out of her head, something about him seemed familiar. Was he really the leader of Cerberus? Or was he a front?

She had to find out who he was, maybe if she uncovered his identity she could fit another piece of the puzzle into place. They knew so much about Cerberus, but not the minds - or _mind_ - behind it. If they knew who he was they could get to him, figure out a plan of attack.

But that type of information would be heavily guarded, protected. Even with all her resources as a Spectre and with the help of the Councillors she doubted she would quickly uncover the identity of the Illusive Man. Which left only one option.

She had to find the Shadow Broker.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_You get a cookie if you know why the Illusive Man chose to use the name Ben Hislop as an alias :) Sorry for the slow update, I returned to school some time ago and it got a little stressful, but everything's sorted now. I'll try to keep the updates weekly._

_Also, sorry if this is somewhat short, but I wanted to set up the next chapter._


	31. Thirtieth

**Thirtieth Assignment**

_Illium_

Stepping onto the planet Seraphina took the chance to step back and admire the view. She had never been on Illium, though she had heard it was like Omega with a cleaner surface, she couldn't help but think otherwise. It seemed beautiful like the asari, but not all beautiful things were kind.

She glanced back at Garrus and Liara, sad to have Wrex missing from her party. He had gotten news of another mission that required his attention; she hadn't questioned his decision to leave, after the discussion they had once she returned from speaking with the Illusive Man she knew he needed time.

Understandably they may have picked the wrong time to discuss their future, especially with Cerberus' threat looming over their shoulders, but thinking they had a future helped them to think that they at least had a chance at victory.

But she couldn't think about that now, she had to focus on finding Feron.

After she returned from the ship and informed the crew of her interesting talk with the Illusive Man, they all knew what was necessary if they were going to defeat him. They needed to know who he was and where he was; from there they could at least start constructing a better plan.

The only person with that kind of information was the Illusive Man and there was only one person who could find him - Feron. The drell was infamous for information broking, he made a living on selling secrets, and it's why Seraphina wanted him on the team.

She had nothing to hide, so he could sell none of her secrets, but there was plenty out there she wanted.

"Should we get going, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

She glanced back at them, somewhat saddened by the fact her two closest friends referred to her as Shepard because of her new status. She had liked it when Garrus called her Shepard to wind her up and when he teased her by calling her Commander, but now she _was_ Commander Shepard, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Her duty was her honour, her work meant so much to her, but there was something about being pigeon-holed as one thing that rather upset her. To go out to battle and lead the charge was... unusual, it made her think of Azuke and the mistakes she made there.

"Yeah, let's go," she said. "Where did Feron say he would meet us?"

"At an apartment he rented," Liara replied. "We can hail a cab and meet him there. Until then he's asked for radio silence, searching for the Shadow Broker could have dire consequences if any Broker agents were to discover his intentions."

"We don't want to kill the Broker," Seraphina argued. "We just want information."

"You want information, but you don't want to pay," Garrus reminded her. "That's now how the Broker does business."

"Then we're just doing to have to be extra careful," Seraphina said.

They hailed a cab and flew out to the beautiful apartment where Feron was waiting. Seraphina wasn't sure where Feron got his information, but he was always right, which only soothed her worries. She didn't know or what the Broker was, but all the stories she heard were bad.

They parked and entered the apartment using the code Feron gave them, and entered a large and well-furbished apartment. The floor was made of soft carpet and the walls lined with beautiful paintings that were either replicas or the originals, if they were originals Seraphina was curious as to how he got them.

"Feron?" Liara called. "We're here."

A figure appeared at the top of the stairs, but it wasn't Feron. It was an asari, a woman of almost purple complexion and in very stylish armour with the **SPECTRE** logo on her arm. As she descended the stairs Liara and Garrus drew their weapons.

"Hold on, I'm not the enemy," the asari said. "I'm here looking for your friend."

"Why are you looking for Feron?" Liara asked.

"I'm one of his contacts," she replied. "My name is Tela Vasir. I helped him track down the Shadow Broker."

"Then where is he?" Garrus asked suspiciously.

"The Broker sent some of his agents after Feron," Vasir explained. "I allowed Feron to escape while I covered him. He's gone into hiding for now, just until I could get into contact with you."

"That's a rather well prepared explanation," Seraphina observed. "Why didn't Feron tell us of this plan? He knew of the danger and clearly set up a plan, but didn't he tell us about you?"

_"Because she's lying!"_ cried a voice.

There came the sound of shots, but from above, and Vasir jumped back to avoid the rapid firing rounds that were aimed at her. She backed off towards the window and Feron appeared before his friends, his form shimmering strangely.

Seraphina was not aware of his cloaking ability, what else didn't she know about her drell friend?

"Feron, what's going?" she demanded.

"I'll explain later," he answered, "after we kill Vasir."

Seraphina pulled out her M-4 Shuriken and aimed it at the asari Spectre's head. Vasir tensed and raised her hands in the air; she carefully considered the situation and knew her odds were still fairly good. She was a powerful warrior and she had planned on killing all three before or after she had finished off Feron.

Now she could finish off all four at once.

Vasir summoned a biotic blast and knocked all four aside with a huge wave of energy that sent them flying across the room. Feron hit the wall hard and went still. Liara went to him and covered her injured friend. Shepard created a biotic shield and Garrus dived behind the wall of energy, he aimed his weapon and fired a shot.

He clipped Vasir's shoulder and she stumbled back, but quickly recovered and lashed out with another shot of energy. The blast bounced off the shield and Seraphina fired a thick concentrated ball of energy. Vasir avoided the hit and the ground behind her exploded, debris flew into the air and struck her, pushing her forwards.

Garrus fired again, striking Vasir's arm. Seraphina saw her opening and ran towards Vasir, tackling her and threw her to the ground. Vasir kicked out, Seraphina grabbed her leg and lifted her off with the ground with a biotic energy field and raised her into the air.

Vasir struggled, she tried to break from the tight hold, but she was stuck. Feron had recovered and Liara helped him forwards, Garrus moved away from the fading barrier and it was time for the interrogation. Seraphina allowed Feron to lead the charge it was he, after all, who had been her original target.

Feron took a moment, considering his questions, when something struck him. "There's something I need to tell you before I ask her any questions," he announced. "Otherwise you'll never trust me again."

"That's... worrying," Seraphina said. "What is it?"

"All the information I receive comes from the Shadow Broker," Feron answered. "I am one of his agents."

He waited a moment for their response, expecting some kind of backlash of cruel words or even a nasty right-hook from Garrus, but what he got was different. Seraphina placed her hand on his shoulder and gently slapped his cheek.

"I suspected as much," she said. "Your information was just _too_ good for a simple information broker. The first time we met you, did you know the location of the children because of the Broker's connections?"

He nodded. "But my connection to the Broker has endangered our mission," he responded. "The Broker wanted information on all of you in order to be more prepared for when he sent agents to kill you."

"Why would he want us dead?" Seraphina asked.

"Cerberus commissioned him to kill you," Feron explained. "They paid all the fees and the Broker was even allowed to keep your bodies if he wished. But I refused to tell him what I knew and he sent Vasir after me."

"A Spectre working for the Broker?" Seraphina frowned. "Doesn't that sort of undermine the whole purpose of your badge if you kill people who don't deserve it?"

"The Broker gives me information that saves lives!" Vasir hissed. "If killing one drell gives me the information necessary to save dozen of lives then it's a small price to pay!"

"That's not what being a Spectre is about!" Garrus snapped. "It's about saving lives through our own skill and initiative! You don't deserve to be a Spectre."

"Don't worry," Seraphina said. "She won't be one for long."

Vasir smirked, "What? You're going to remove me of my status?"

"I'm going to remove you from this life," Seraphina growled.

Garrus took aim. A look of fleeting panic passed Vasir's face, she judged Seraphina's face and wondered if the human had it within her to give the order of execution. She did. Seraphina nodded once and Garrus fired. Vasir's body struck the ground and laid there, a puddle of blood pooling around her head.

"Let's get going," Seraphina said. "I want to have a few words with the Broker."

...

_Hagalaz_

There was something about the extreme weather of Hagalaz Seraphina liked. As the Normandy broke through the atmosphere of Hagalaz the golden clouds became clear, rolling like warm caramel and the glorious sunset in the distant made the sky explode into a beautiful moving painting with thick black clouds appearing just ahead.

The intense heat on one side of the planet and the extreme cold on the other made for violent storm cells wherever the sun is rising or setting, but this in turn creates the most magnificent sunset Seraphina was ever likely to see.

She went to the cruiser with Garrus and Liara and they were taken to the Broker's strange ship. It reminded Seraphina of a key, for some strange reason. It seemed somehow appropriate, inside the Broker held the secrets of possibly every living being and he was the key to unlock it all.

Perhaps if they explained the situation and made the Broker aware of her own plans, buying information off him in order to bring down Cerberus, then he may forget his own deal with Cerberus and they could resolve the issue peacefully. This is what she hoped for, but was not foolish enough to believe would happen.

"So the plan is to just get in and talk the Broker down?" Garrus asked.

"It won't work," Seraphina confirmed his scepticism. "But it'll buy us a second or two to figure out how to take care of him if he gets in our way."

"You make it sound _so_ easy," Garrus sighed.

"Don't worry," Seraphina nudged him. "This'll be over soon and then we can get back to the ship and get drunk."

"Sounds like a plan," he smirked.

They neared the ship and landed on board the foreign vessel, the small cruiser dissapeared out of sight and they were alone to face whatever lay ahead. Seraphina didn't hesitate, she took a step forwards and led the charge.

...

_Benning_

Wrex sat outside a bar, the air was dark and tinted orange and the air stank of something unpleasant. The only light was the pale yellow glow of the bar's open windows and the only sound was drunken arguments and the occasional clear-minded voice of the bar tender.

It had been years since Wrex had last been on Benning and he hadn't been prepared to return, but this assignment required his full attention. Even if he didn't like pushing thoughts of Seraphina aside, he needed too, if he was going to find Aleena.

He needed to think like a mercenary, lower himself to that standard, if he was going to get anywhere. But still... he could at least check up on her, especially considering how their last conversation had soured so. He brought up his Omni-tool but was unable to make a clear connection, so he left a message.

"I don't where you are Seraph, but I hope you're okay... I'm sorry things turned out so bad earlier, you just surprised me. But I thought about it a bit more and I think..."

Wrex trailed off at the sight of the asari who had stepped out of the shadows, a tall and beautiful woman with a slight purple tinge to her flesh and detailed and intricate markings along her brow. She wore a uniform similar to a Justicar, and she wore it with grace uncommon in a mercenary.

_"Aleena..."_

_..._

_Hagalaz_

Seraphina and her crew moved with cautious skill, so far they had only come across the occasional mech and the occasional guard, but more would soon come and she was rather hoping to get off the ship's exterior before the weather worsened and more guards arrived.

Liara led the way, following the instructions Feron had given her. They activated the Rod Controls that lowered a lightning rod, with the coast clear they ducked into the trench that had been left exposed. They followed along the path to the right and came to a ramp and a large door, Liara quickly lowered the defences and they entered.

Inside the ship's engine room they took a moment to marvel at how large the ship truly was, how long had it taken to create and where had the contractors gone? How old was the Broker, anyway? This ship appeared so old in design, older than so many decommissioned ships, perhaps that was why it was so hard to find. That and the weather.

They carried on, going deeper into the ship, and came across no guards. It was obvious they were walking into some kind of trap, but what kind exactly? Would they walk through a door and be gunned down? Would the Broker fill the room with gas?

He was planning something and she wanted to know what.

Along they went until they came to a large room, a desk set up just in the centre beneath a glass dome. Darkness fell upon the one who sat at the desk, but it was obvious the creature was no small adversary. Seraphina took a step forwards, one gun raised and one hand concealed in a biotic glow.

"So are you the Shadow Broker?" she asked. "Or just someone to keep us busy while the real Broker initiates his plan?"

"My plan is far simpler than that," the creature answered. "I know you well Shepard, I know of your exploits and talents, as well as the talents of your crew. I saw no point in wasting agents when I can just take care of you myself."

"I want to do business," Seraphina said. "Couldn't you forget your deal with Cerberus?"

"No," he responded. "Cerberus are great clients and adversaries, they abhor me and my methods but still pay double for my information. They are worth keeping. You, on the other hand, would kill my agents and never stop until I'm dead. Cerberus could never kill me because they need me."

"So there's no compromise?" she asked.

"None at all," he replied.

"Anyone else got something to add before we have to fight?" Seraphina asked her squad.

"I just have one thing to say..." Liara took a step forwards. "You may hide in the shadows but there is much about you I know. I know you're a yahg, a pre-space flight species who were not discovered until 2125 CE and your ship is considerably older than that, meaning you usurped the original Shadow Broker years ago and took over his title without anyone knowing."

The Broker did not move, though his strange ears twitched. Seraphina wondered for a moment what her friend was doing, but then it came to her. The Broker's business was secrets and his own were the most closely guarded, if a simple asari like Liara knew his deepest thoughts then had he lowered his guard or slipped up?

It put a doubt and rage inside of him they could exploit.

"Not impressed?" she continued. "How about this? The original Shadow Broker knew you by a name, a name you stole from your keepers. You were once known as Operative Kechlu."

The Broker jumped to his feet and roared, a terrifying sound that seemed to shake the hull. He was like a toddler in rage, a child who discovered there was someone greater at his only talent. He lifted the table and threw it, it caught Garrus and threw him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. He roared again and a shield appeared on his arm, he glared at Liara and she felt her blood go cold.

But she stood her ground, swallowed her fear and came up with a plan.

"Get him to the centre of the room," Liara ordered.

Seraphina didn't question her order, she trusted her friend enough to not judge her decisions. Seraphina charged the Broker, peppering him with biotic blasts that made him stagger. She charged, hitting his shield and knocking him back. She delivered a sharp punch to his jaw and face, pushing him back.

He swung his arm and struck her with the shield, throwing her to the centre of the room. He charged at her, Seraphina rolled out of the way and hit him a biotic field that froze him in place. "Now, Liara!" Seraphina cried as she ran for cover.

Liara unleashed her power into her arms and struck the glass dome, a hard crack split across its smooth surface just as the Broker began to fight the effect of stasis. Liara grunted with effort and brought her arms down, bringing down a curtain of pure energy that sank deep into the yahg's flesh and burned him.

The Broker tried to move, he tried to fight the powerful burn that tore him apart, but to no avail. The Broker grunted in pain and collapsed, falling into his knees and with one scream of pain fell to the ground in defeat. Garrus stirred at the screams of pain and managed to recover, limping over to his commander.

"Where'd he go?" he asked. "Please don't tell me he's the puddle on the floor?"

Seraphina ignored him, "How did you know that would work?" she asked. "Or who and what he even was?"

"I recognized the dome as a shield regenerator," Liara replied. "As for what he was-"

_"Shadow Broker, we're awaiting orders, what's happened?"_

Liara spotted the dozens of monitors at the lower end of the room and approached them, each screen was black as dozens of agents called home, asking what happened and if they were still operational. The voices swept over Liara, like the crashing of waves, and it oddly calmed her.

She found the intercom and spoke into it with the very same voice as the Broker:

_"We are still operational. The situation has been resolved. Return to your regular duties."_

"The Broker had a voice moderator built in?" Seraphina asked.

"The original Broker probably had it installed," Liara said. "It would have kept anyone from easily identifying him or her... but now..."

"You're the Shadow Broker now," Garrus said. "Do you know what this means, Liara? If you leave then we'll have his agents after us, if you stay-"

"It's not a question of what I do," Liara replied. "I've already made my mind up. I'm staying."

"Liara, are you sure?" Seraphina asked.

"Yes," she answered quickly. "Shepard, don't you understand? I have all of his contacts, I have all of his information. I can help the Alliance or send the asari to war, I can do whatever I want. I can find who the Illusive Man is."

"Liara, I know this must seem..." Seraphina sighed. "I don't know what this looks like to you, but I don't want you to dive into something this dangerous if you're unprepared."

"Feron will probably join me," Liara replied. "He'll aid me in this quest. And no one has actually seen the Broker, I can take over without anyone the wiser."

"So I guess this means you're not coming back to the Normandy?" she asked.

"Not yet," Liara replied. "Maybe once I've become... _accustomed_ then maybe I'll come back for a visit. But that can wait, right now we need to find the Illusive Man's secrets."

There was no firewall or system to bypass, the Broker never anticipated someone would be strong enough to defeat him. Within moments Liara was inside, she connected to networks and searched through every file, until she found what she was looking for. With one click all of the Illusive Man's secrets was revealed.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Holy Vorcha! The 30th Assignment? I've reached a milestone, but there's so little left, I'm sort of sad. Good thing I've got a Garrus sequel planned **and** an in-game F/ShepxWrex fic planned._


	32. Thirty-First Assignment

**Thirty-First Assignment**

_The Citadel, Hours Earlier_

They hadn't planned on returning to the Citadel so soon, but after Seraphina's encounter with the Illusive Man it was best to directly inform the Councillors of what had transpired. They had discussed it thoroughly; there was so much to take into consideration.

After an hour or so Seraphina was asked to leave so the Councillors could discuss the matter in private, with time to spare until they were aware of news Seraphina and Wrex decided to take a walk through the Citadel and get reacquainted with an old friend.

"It's nice to be back here," she said, "it reminds me of when things were...simpler."

"By simpler do you mean a turian with poison, vorcha with fear gas and, oh yeah, that one crazy human organization?" he asked.

"No need to be sarcastic," she playfully pushed him.

They found an empty bench and sat before the Presidium, looking down at the lake and people, watching the hustle and bustle and wondered if they were once ever like that. She had been in the army for so many years, so couldn't even remember what it was like to live a civilian life.

"After the Illusive Man is taken care of, what's next?" he asked.

"I'm coming with you to Tuchanka," she replied. "Why? You don't think I'm getting cold feet, do you?"

"The thought never crossed my mind," he said. "I just know how used you are to this way of living, you're a soldier but you maybe be required to be more of a politician. I know you're not keen on being too much - or too little - of either, so..."

"Wrex, it's fine," she smiled and took his hand. "If I wasn't prepared I wouldn't agree... besides, we have plenty of time to learn and grow before we face the Illusive Man."

They noticed a young asari with an armful of flowers who sang cheerfully. Her mother cautiously followed her child, watching every slight twist and turn of her daughter's dress. The girl stopped beside Wrex and smiled her beautiful straight teeth at him, he awkwardly smiled back, and she left a flower on his lap before continuing on her way.

Seraphina smiled, "Kids are so cute," she said.

"Would you want one?" he asked.

The way he said it, like the child was some kind of item ready to be picked-up, yet the look on his face was serious. Wasn't he going a little fast? They had only known one another for just over a year and had been married for even fewer months, how could he be thinking of a child now?

Perhaps his need to rush stemmed from the fact he wouldn't live as long as the previous generation of krogan, maybe he feared leaving no legacy because of how fast the world would pass him by if he didn't stop to do something worthwhile.

"You mean... have a kid _now?"_ she asked.

"Not now," he said. "Later, after this is all taken care of and we have time to be ourselves."

"You make it sound easy," she said. "But are humans even allowed to adopt children?"

"Sure... I think so," Wrex thought about it for a moment. "Even if you they tried to stop you, I wouldn't let them if that's what you wanted."

"Wrex..." she sighed.

"What?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Wrex," she said. "I'm just... wondering if we're thinking too far ahead. We don't even know if we're going to see tomorrow and you're planning on ruling Tuchanka and having kids. Can't you stop to think about now?"

"I do think about 'now'," he said. "To me, now is now and nothing is happening, but tomorrow is just waiting for us to take it."

"And what if we die tomorrow?" she asked. "What then?"

"Then there is no tomorrow after that," he answered calmly. "My dreams die with me, as your dreams will die with you if you're not strong enough."

"So that's it?" she asked. "You're just fighting for tomorrow?"

"That's what I've been doing since the start," he said. "Why stop now?"

His Omni-tool flashed and message appeared, a quick and short report written in krogan. Seraphina only saw it briefly, and her krogan wasn't the best, but there was one word she understood - Aleena. Wrex stood, instantly closing the message.

"I've got go," he said.

"But I thought we were going to hit the Broker's base?" she said.

"Take Liara with you instead," he said. "I... need to do this."

He took the flower and placed it behind her hair. His smile was warm but his eyes cold. Seraphina knew who Aleena was, so she didn't question her husband's decision to leave and go chasing after her. It was important to him and she wasn't going to stop him from settling an old score.

...

_Years Ago, Benning_

_He hit the ground hard and kept running, ignoring the bullets that flew overheard and chipped his armour, ignoring the pain in his arm. He just focused on her, the commando who led the escape as they darted through the dark streets and alleyways._

_He could still hear the mercenaries pound the streets as they pursued their newest pay check. Wrex was surprised he had drawn so much attention so soon, but he knew it was all because of Aleena. The asari commando was infamous, every mercenary knew her name, and just about everyone wanted her dead._

_"Getting tired yet, little krogan?" she laughed._

_She loved to call him 'little krogan', because she knew how much it pissed him off. He **was** young, but by krogan mercenary standards he was of the same age as any other fighter. Krogan fighters started young, they had an edge at their age that only turians could match. _

_They took a turn and came to a narrow alley, the only way was up and over. Aleena summoned her biotic prowess and jumped, bouncing between the walls until she reached the rooftops. Wrex watched her in awe, he had no idea a biotic could use their power in such a way. _

_He had only ever seen asari do it, he hoped he could._

_"C'mon, Wrex!" she called. "Quickly! The mercenaries are almost here..."_

_..._

_Benning, Now_

Wrex sat outside a bar, the air was dark and tinted orange and the air stank of something unpleasant. The only light was the pale yellow glow of the bar's open windows and the only sound was drunken arguments and the occasional clear-minded voice of the bar tender.

It had been years since Wrex had last been on Benning and he hadn't been prepared to return, but this assignment required his full attention. Even if he didn't like pushing thoughts of Seraphina aside, he needed too, if he was going to find Aleena.

He needed to think like a mercenary, lower himself to that standard, if he was going to get anywhere. But still... he could at least check up on her, especially considering how their last conversation had soured so. He had no idea she had felt such a way, maybe he was pushing her too far.

He brought up his Omni-tool but was unable to make a clear connection, so he left a message.

_"I don't where you are Seraph, but I hope you're okay... I'm sorry things turned out so bad earlier, you just surprised me. But I thought about it a bit more and I think..."_

Wrex trailed off at the sight of the asari who had stepped out of the shadows, a tall and beautiful woman with a slight purple tinge to her flesh and detailed and intricate markings along her brow. She wore a uniform similar to a Justicar, and she wore it with grace uncommon in a mercenary.

"Aleena..."

"Hello, Wrex," she smiled. "I was surprised to hear that you had come back... especially considering how our partnership ended."

"That wasn't my fault," he remarked. "If I recall you was the one who ended it."

"You could have come back," she said.

"Not after how you treated me," he growled. "I was nothing but cannon fodder to you, someone to take the hits or warm your bed if you were feeling lonely."

"That's all very true," she said. "I won't deny it. But why did you come here, Wrex? Surely not to catch up. Or was _you_ feeling lonely?"

"I'd never go back to you," Wrex replied. "Besides, I'm mated."

"Yes, I did hear," she said. "I just didn't believe it. My Wrex a Spectre and a mated krogan? It seemed too bizarre."

"Then you certainly didn't know me well," he commented.

"No, I suppose not," she agreed. "So I'll ask again. Why are you here?"

"You killed a volus diplomat just the other day," he answered. "As a Spectre it's my job to take you in."

"Take me in?" she laughed. "No offence, little krogan, but you don't have the skills."

"You haven't seen the type of skills I've got, Aleena," he growled. "If you hadn't left me to the mercy of those thugs you would know I'm a lot tougher than you know!"

Aleena smirked, "I'm looking forwards to seeing it."

She summoned her powers, her body seeming to hum with all of the energy that danced around her like trails of smoke. Her hands curled like daggers, a large ball of dark energy gathering, and she fired. Wrex raised his biotic shields and the ball struck, sending a powerful shockwave through the land that shattered the bar's windows and tore up the ground.

...

_"...The mercenaries are almost here..."_

_Wrex could hear them, shouting and calling, blood-thirsty bastards who do terrible things to both of them - Aleena especially, a woman of her beauty in the possession of those kind of men wasn't something he was keen on spending too much time thinking about. They needed to leave, quickly.  
_

_Wrex summoned his inner power and tried to copy Aleena, he raised himself off the ground and bounced into the wall... and his foot struck hard, getting stuck in place. No! He used too much force. He tried to free his foot, but lost his hold on his power and fell back, hitting the ground hard._

_He looked up, to call to Aleena, to ask her to offer some support, but she was already gone. The mercenaries piled on him, throwing punches and striking him with bars and pipes. He roared and threw them off, throwing them into walls and into the ground._

_They collected themselves and prepared themselves for the next strike. Wrex looked up, hoping Aleena would return with an almighty comeback and they would leave together. But she left him there. She didn't even come back to see if her partner was alive._

...

The dust began to clear and Wrex charged, swinging a heavy upper-cut that knocked Aleena's head back and sent her flying into a wall. The wall around her crumpled and broke, sending shards of rock flying into the air as she lay against the shattered wall. She clutched her side in pain; a faint stream of blood began to run down her lips and onto her chin.

She smiled painfully, "Good punch, little krogan."

"I was holding back," he replied. "Want to see me hit harder?"

"I would," she pulled herself from the wall and fired a biotic blast.

He twisted his body and the round went flying ahead, clipping the side of a building. A loud roar sounded as the building's side exploded. Around them were panicked screams as bystanders ran to safety and tried to avoid the falling debris. Wrex was oddly reminded of the time he chased Aleena through a pirate ship, those bystanders were none of his concern, but these humans were different.

Aleena wouldn't allow herself to be chased away; he had no choice but to end this quickly less some innocent bystander be injured or killed.

"If I win I'm determined to pay your partner a visit," she taunted. "I'll tell her everything that ever happened between us."

"She already knows," he growled. "There are no secrets between us."

"I see," she said. "So is killing me just a way of eradicating your sordid past? You was a mercenary, a thug, and now you're mated and a Spectre. I bet you're even going to return to Tuchanka to rule the clans as you planned."

"Killing you is my job," he answered.

"No, taking me in is your job," she corrected. "Killing me is just a way of forgetting who you were and what you did."

_Maybe,_ Wrex thought. _Maybe she's right. Maybe she's wrong._

It didn't matter what his reasoning's were, this was his job now, and perhaps a small part of him wanted to erase her from his past because of who she was and what she stood for, but it hardly mattered. He was a Spectre and perhaps future ruler of Tuchanka.

Aleena was just a stain in his memory that needed to be cleaned.

Wrex summoned his biotic powers, the air around him seeming to ripple and burn from the force. Aleena smiled, impressed by the force that emitted so far as to even make the air around her hot. She summoned her own power and the ground beneath her feet crumbled from the pressure.

"I heard an interesting human saying the other day," she said. "You may be interested to hear it."

He didn't answer, and so she took it as an open invitation.

"What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" she asked.

"I've heard this one before... They destroy one another," he answered.

"Or the former is consumed by the latter, with an immeasurable release of heat," she responded. "Shall we see who is what in this conundrum?"

Wrex shifted his position, the ground beneath his feet broke from the pressure, but he ignored the collateral damage and focused on the asari before him. She had taught him more than an academy could, she made him street-smart, but she also made him untrustworthy.

And that's who he was anymore.

They charged, splitting the air as they threw as much force into their biotic blow as physically possible. The ground rippled and cracked, sending fissures along the ground as the power tore the ground apart. The bar was abandoned and the air grew so hot Aleena began to sweat.

No one had ever tried to overpower another biotic this way; no one had ever tried to use biotic power to drown out another biotic. But it was just the type of crazy thing Wrex and Aleena would try, because crazy risks were what life was all about. Aleena gave a push, Wrex pushed back and he felt his vision blurred.

Something in his arm broke as the power gave a harsh rebound, and blood began to drip out of his nose. He fought the backlash and forced it forwards, pushing Aleena back. Her head began to swim, too much force too quickly, but if her little krogan wasn't giving up then she wouldn't either.

As a harsh blue light began to fill his vision like a tidal wave he saw Aleena smile, and then she was gone as the wave came over him and there was nothing but a bright light.

...

Wrex woke some hours later, much to his surprise, on the Normandy. He didn't remember being moved, he didn't even remember being unconscious. He just remembered waking up and Seraphina was there, looking every bit the image of an angel her name suggested she was.

"Morning," she greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"I... can't really feel anything," he answered.

"That's normal," she said. "Mordin injected you with something to numb your body during the healing process."

She took a seat beside his bed and he could barely turn his head to look at her, sensing his difficulty she sat on the bed and looked down at his face. He was in a good enough condition, the only thing which had taken any damage was his right arm, but it was almost healed now.

She quickly explained how she received his message and came to Benning after she had taken care of the Shadow Broker, she found him in police custody despite his injuries, and had returned him to the Normandy to receive proper medical attention. He had been unconscious for a day and a half and could return to duty as soon as he wanted, as long as he didn't strain his arm.

"So you killed the Broker?" he asked.

"We didn't have much of a choice," she responded. "Liara is the Broker now, but keep that quiet."

"... What happened to Aleena?" he asked.

"The police found a charred asari body near you," she replied. "That was probably her."

"She's dead then..." he sighed and smiled slightly. "Good. I wasn't made for the mercenary life and she wasn't made for retirement. This suits us both well."

Seraphina wasn't too sure how to respond to her mate's answer, so she decided not to. If that's how he saw it then she wasn't going to correct him. He and Aleena had a long history and now it was over, dead and buried as it were, and that was that.

Wrex now noticed his beloved was wearing her armour, and it seemed rather clean. She hadn't yet been out to the field, which meant she was to go out soon. He wondered what he had missed when he had been out.

"Where are you off to then?" he asked.

"Palaven," she replied. "There's... a problem concerning Garrus' family. We think Cerberus is trying to kill his dad."

_To Be Continued..._

_...  
_

_I know there is a theory that Aleena is actually Aria, but for this story I decided to ignore the theory, despite how interesting it maybe, because it would have messed up the whole plot XD I also slightly changed her background story, it's still very similar to the game but with a slight twist of betrayal._


	33. Thirty-Second Assignment

**Thirty-Second Assignment**

_En Route to Palaven_

Seraphina had never seen the turian home world, she had always wanted too, but she had never found herself with the spare time. It seemed such a shame that she would visit under such circumstances. She glanced sideways at Garrus, noticing an eerily calm expression on his face.

She hadn't expected him to be so stone-faced, this wasn't the type of news one took calmly and with patience. If it had been her father who had been attacked she would have flown home as soon as possible and protected her family, but Garrus seemed fine with waiting for Wrex to have another day to recover, but Serena insisted in taking someone else and wasting no more time.

Samara had been chosen to go with them, she was an excellent fighter and her detection skills were what were required for sniffing out a murderer. Still... was Garrus hiding his true feelings? She didn't doubt he felt worried, but to have such a stony expression when faced with such news...

"Garrus," she spoke up. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Shepard," he answered.

"You sure?" she insisted. "To me you seem... I don't know, I can't tell if you're bothered by this news."

"Of course I'm bothered!" he snapped. "My father had a Cerberus operative try to kill him because he found something he shouldn't have."

"She meant no offence," Samara offered. "But to know your father is in danger and to try to delay the journey... you can understand our worry."

Seraphina arched an eyebrow, surprised at the _'our worry'_. She had known Samara to be distant emotionally and spend little time with the rest of the crew, recently she _had_ begun to slowly open up to those around her but Seraphina was surprised that Samara had been so open with her feelings.

Garrus sighed and sat down, looking out the observation's bays windows as his home world came into view. He stared at it for a moment, remembering the day he turned fifteen and was drafted into military service, the day he received a medal of honour, the day he left to become a Spectre.

He sighed, turning back to his commander.

"My father and I... don't really get along," he explained. "We're... a big family, with three boys and a girl, and we're all successful. My younger brother's a turian representative on Kahje, my older brother is a general and my sister an admiral."

"And you're a Spectre," Seraphina remarked. "How is that any less important?"

"You don't understand..." he said. "Before I was a Spectre I worked at C-Sec."

"You never told me that," she said.

"I finished my military service and went on to C-Sec, to try and scrub out the corruption," he explained. "But my father disagreed. He said C-Sec was beneath us and that my time should be better spent. I didn't listen. I was in C-Sec for about a few years before I became a Spectre."

"It sounds like your father's got some issues," Seraphina observed. "But you shouldn't let that distract you. You've returned home to find an assassin, regardless of what he thinks of you."

"I know, Shepard," he said, "it's just... hard not to feel his eyes on me."

Garrus said nothing more and Seraphina didn't want to pry into such private matters, if Garrus wanted to talk more then he would come to her. There was no need to push him any further. The Normandy passed Palaven's atmosphere, flying over a beautiful and shimmering city and docked at a large base.

Palaven's buildings were sleek and a tone of chrome blue, with dim yellow lights that shed a colourful shadow on the city's darkening sky. Each turian who passed wore long and dark coloured robes, making it difficult to distinguish military personnel from civilians, though on Palaven there seemed to be little difference.

As they left the ship they were greeted by a female turian in lush blue robes that appeared to be an admiral's uniform judging by the medals and stars she wore. The markings on her face were exactly the same as Garrus and judging by her smile, she could only be his sister.

"Welcome back, Garrus," she smiled. "It's been awhile."

"A few years, actually," he said.

She shook her head, "You never change," she said.

She caught sight of Seraphina and Samara and stood straight and saluted.

"Admiral Solana Vakarian, at your service," she introduced. "I'm sure my brother mentioned me."

"He did," Seraphina replied. "He said you and your brothers are quite successful..."

"Algemein and Verten," she said. "They wish you the best, Garrus, and are sorry they couldn't be here to see you. Algemein is at a colony trying to set up a defence systems and Verten couldn't leave Kahje in time."

"I'm here on business," Garrus retorted. "They would just be a distraction."

There was a shift in Solana's expression, perhaps a hint of sadness, it was hard to tell as she hid it so quickly.

"Perhaps you're right," she agreed. "Come, I'll take you to father and he can explain what happened."

They followed her to a large vehicle and they were driven across the busy city. Solana and Garrus made idle chat, mostly discussing their mother who had recently been sick, and how the young Verten was adjusting to Kahje's climate and if Algemein ever did go on that date with that one girl.

Garrus had missed a lot since leaving Palaven and he had a lot to catch up on. He couldn't hide the fact he missed them, it was obvious in his face, and the same could be said for Solana. As a military family they were probably used to not seeing one another often, but they were all stationed on Palaven and Garrus was now wondering the stars.

Throughout the conversation they never once mentioned their father, Solana was aware of the strained relationship and so she avoided it, but Seraphina just couldn't. There was too much she didn't know about Garrus' father, she needed to know who he was and what kind of position he held, it would say a lot about the murder he had witnessed and the attempt on his life.

"Can I ask about your father?" she asked. "What kind of man is he?"

Garrus hesitated to answer, and so Solana jumped in.

"Our father is Primarch Vorsit Vakarian," she answered. "He is the leader of our colonization cluster and works closely with the turian Hierarchy. The man who was killed, a krogan named Groll, was here to discuss some private matter. Groll was killed mid-way through the meeting and our father managed to get away."

"Does Groll hold any power on Tuchanka?" Samara asked.

"Dad said he was just an informant," Solana replied. "An information broker who found something Dad needed to see."

"What about the assassin?" Garrus asked. "Did Dad see him clearly?"

"Yes," Solana replied, "when we return there should be an artist's impression waiting for us."

They finally arrived at the Vakarian household, a large and grand estate, and went straight in and up to Primarch Vakarian's office. Seraphina took note of the amount of guards that circled the estate and she wondered if they were recent.

Solana knocked once before entering the office and they found two turian's inside, one a much older turian who used a cane, and another a little younger, who dressed finely in blue and gold robes. He closed some terminals as they entered and carefully examined his son.

Seraphina wasn't sure what emotion she saw in Primarch Vakarians' eyes, he was better at masking his emotions than his children were. The older turian took a step forwards and Solana and Garrus bowed their heads at his approach, the aged turian smiled at them.

"It has been too long, Garrus," he said. "How has the world been treating you?"

"As well as it could," Garrus replied.

The old turian chuckled.

He spotted Seraphina and Samara and bowed his head, the Commander and Justicar copied him and both felt oddly like they had walked in on a family reunion. The elderly turian bared no resemblance to the Vakarian Family, but he seemed close to them.

"And who are these?" he asked.

"This is Commander Shepard and the Justicar Samara," Garrus introduced. "Shepard was one of my original Spectre partners and Samara is a good ally."

"So you picked good friends to bring to such a... situation," Primarch Vakarian commented.

It was the first time he had spoken, but his voice had such force and volume that even Seraphina would have obeyed him. He was Primarch for a reason, and even by his stance Seraphina could tell he sought perfection, not power. She had assumed he wanted power, but it was perfection, he wanted his family to leave a mark on the world.

And it may have endangered his life.

"This is Gilbert Captera," Vorsit introduced. "He's an old friend of the family and the children's godfather, I thought it was necessary to have him here."

Vorsit approached Seraphina and took her hand, despite how awkward he clearly felt. He was trying to make _her_ feel comfortable. How odd. She returned the favour and bowed her head, as she had quickly learnt was a turian sign of respect.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Commander," Vorsit said. "I have heard much about you. You have served the Citadel and its races well."

"Your son is a great help," Seraphina said.

"I have heard... things," Vorsit said. "Councillor Quentius thinks highly of you."

"At least someone does," Garrus mumbled.

Vorsit and Seraphina chose to ignore him.

"Can you tell us exactly what happened?" she asked. "Why did Groll come see you?"

"I heard someone within the Hierarchy was manipulating the system in order to Cerberus wishes," Vorsit explained. "I've had suspicions of corruption for years and then you all uncovered Cerberus, and I was more determined that I was right. So I had Groll find the mole. We met here and a Cerberus assassin came in through the window... and killed him."

"Did he go after you?" Garrus asked.

"He appeared... injured," Vorsit replied. "Or recovering, judging by the way he moved. He didn't appear to want to take the risk of fighting me, but it's likely he'll come back."

"Can we see the artist's rendering of this man?" Samara asked.

Vorsit nodded and opened an image on his terminal, a 3D projection of a man's head. His hair was black, held in a high pony tail atop his head and what appeared to be cybernetic implants on his face. It took Garrus a moment to accept what he was, a moment longer to contain his rage.

"Impossible!" Garrus cried. "Kai Leng is dead! I saw him flat line!"

"This is Cerberus, Garrus," Seraphina reminded him. "They would have done anything to keep their top assassin, even fake his death."

"It would explain why he is still recovering," Samara added. "A krogan _did_ land on him."

"Then we have an advantage," Seraphina said. "If Kai Leng is still recovering then he won't be too far from Vorsit at any time, he won't want to risk straining himself in just the journey when the fight is far more important. Are there any houses or buildings near-by?"

"Only three," Vorsit replied. "There's the guards house, a maintenance building and Gilbert's estate."

"And you've seen nothing suspicious, Gilbert?" Seraphina asked.

"None, I'm afraid," he replied. "I was out of a town for a week before I heard what happened."

"Then its best you stay here," Garrus said. "Just until we know where Kai Leng is."

"Solana, show them around," Vorsit ordered. "A tour of the estate may help them in their investigation."

"Garrus, stay here," Seraphina said. "I don't want to leave either your father or your godfather alone until we catch Kai Leng."

Garrus nodded once, though he didn't look too pleased about the decision.

Solana led them around the large estate, explaining where certain corridors went and what kind of security the building was equipped with. There was clearly something else on her mind, but she didn't dare ask the Commander to clear what was bothering her.

It was fairly obvious to all that Seraphina left Garrus with his father because, to her, it was the right thing. Garrus and his father may have had a strained relationship, but it was not so far gone that it couldn't be repaired. Seraphina just wanted Garrus and his father to enjoy their time together, time she didn't have with her own parents.

Samara examined the house carefully and they left her to her work, she had far more years' experience in this field than they ever would and she would find what they couldn't.

Seraphina glanced at Solana, noting her uneasiness. "Something you want to ask?" she asked.

"That... assassin," Solana said. "Kai Leng. My brother truly seems to hate him, but more than one should. Why? What did he do?"

"We've had a few run-ins with Kai Leng before his _'death'_," Seraphina replied. "What he's done is bad enough, but he worked with a man called Senn Giriko, who you could call your brother's arch-nemesis."

"Garrus has lived an... interesting life," Solana observed.

"No more than that of any Spectre or admiral," Seraphina retorted.

Solana smiled.

Samara, who had been standing at the end of the corridor, waved them over.

"What did you find?" Seraphina asked.

"Blood trails," Samara replied. "They appear fresh, but they are not Kai Leng's. They appear turian."

"He must have killed a guard on his way in," Solana said.

Seraphina clenched her fists in annoyance, knowing that in the few moments she had spent talking with Primarch Vakarian she had let the assassin slip in.

...

Garrus checked the windows, making sure the new shields had been correctly installed, and then checked the rest of the room for any structural weaknesses. Gilbert watched him carefully, comparing the turian before them to the one he had last seen years ago. Vorsit's attention was focused on his Omni-tool, at some report he seemed determined to read.

Gilbert didn't pay any attention to his friend, though he did wonder what was so important he would ignore the fact his son had come all this way to protect him.

"How secure are we?" Vorsit asked.

"This room is secure enough," Garrus replied. "I know the ceiling is reinforced, same as the walls and windows, so the only way he can get in is through the door. And with Shepard and Samara out there you've got that nice bit of extra protection."

Garrus cleared the desk and put his Mantis on the table, setting up his weapon as his father and godfather stood by wordlessly. Garrus rested the weapon against his shoulder, as his father had taught him to do, and waited for Kai Leng.

"You always were a good marksman," Gilbert said. "Though I never imagined you would stick to the rifle."

Garrus said nothing, and neither did Vorsit, both were aware of the need for silence. Garrus could just as easily fire _with_ Gilbert talking, he had fired a weapon with the sounds of explosions in the background and it barely effected him, but this was Kai Leng and the silence of battle was what he favoured.

Garrus needed to be extra keen if he was going to catch Kai Leng, and he couldn't do it with Gilbert talking, and Gilbert was aware of that.

"What was it your drill sergeant used to say?" Gilbert went on. "Something about-"

Garrus turned the Mantis on Gilbert and the old turian fell silent. Garrus quickly glanced at his father and Vorsit couldn't hide his sadness, he was never very good at hiding things from his second son. Gilbert looked to Vorsit for assistance, for any kind of help, but Vorsit offered none.

"W-what... what are you doing, Garrus?" Gilbert gasped.

"You're working with Kai Leng!" Garrus accused. "It's obvious!"

"I... no!" Gilbert cried. "Vorsit, tell him! I'm your friend, I'm-"

"He's right, Gilbert," Vorsit interrupted. "Before Groll died he sent me a copy of his findings, as he was sure he would be killed. I only now just decrypted it, but it says some interesting things."

He brought up the report on his Omni-tool. Garrus quickly read it, but it only confirmed his suspicions. Gilbert had been working with Cerberus for years, maybe even as far as his days in the army, and they had been the one responsible for getting him elevated into the ranks of the Hierarchy, in exchange for information and a little manipulation of the system.

When Vorsit came close to knowing the truth with Groll's assistance, Gilbert hired Kai Leng to kill the krogan and the Primarch. It was going to look like a political killing and with Gilbert out of town they would never think to blame the sad, old turian.

"Why?" Vorsit demanded. "You were my father's friend, _my_ friend and the godfather to my children! I trusted you and respected you! Why work for Cerberus, why betray us?"

"Why?" Gilbert said. "_Why?!_ I'll tell you why! Your father took my position within the Hierarchy, setting me back years, and then you took the position of Primarch and had me put as low-ranking member of the Hierarchy! I had nothing against your children, in fact, when you died I would be able to care for them in a way you couldn't and actually show them a little love!"

"Don't use us to justify your actions," Garrus sneered. "You're a traitor... and you know what happens to traitors."

"Not on your life, G-"

Garrus pulled the trigger and Gilbert's head snapped back, he stumbled back and fell against the wall. Slowly, he slipped to the floor and left a large blue streak of blood against the wall. Garrus heard a click and the opposite wall opened, Kai Leng emerging from the dark shadows.

Garrus fired another shot, Kai Leng deflected it and swung his sword. Garrus blocked with his Mantis and held Kai Leng there as his father pulled out his weapon and fired. Kai Leng staggered forwards, Vorsit fired another shot, and another, and Kai Leng fell to the floor. He cursed to himself as he tried to stand.

Garrus pushed his boot to the assassin's head and hled him there. Kai Leng swore, his mouth of blood, and Garrus pushed the barrel of the gun against his head. Vorsit watched, expecting Garrus to pull the trigger, but he didn't. He knew better. The door opened and Seraphina, Samara and Solana burst into the room.

Seraphina caught sight of the bleeding assassin and the dead turian.

"I guess we weren't needed, Samara," she joked lightly.

Solana ran to her father and hugged him, smiling gratefully at her brother. Samara tapped Seraphina's arm and they dragged Kai Leng away, leaving the family alone to thank the Spirits that on that night the family wasn't left in a worse state than it already was.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_I know 'Gilbert' is an odd name for a turian, but I did pick it for a specific reason that's why it's a little strange. Also, sorry this was late, school got in the way._


	34. Thirty-Third Assignment

**Thirty-Third Assignment**

Kai Leng observed the turian guards and he imagined slitting their throats, he imagined watching the thick blood pour out of the wounds and pool at his feet. The thought made him warm, it made him happy and he wished he could get out of his restraints and do just as he wanted.

The guards must have sensed his intentions, as they grew anxious and didn't dare look at him and his cold smile. The guards only calmed down when Commander Shepard entered the room, the Justicar close at her side, and they happily left the human to see to the disgraced member of her own race.

"I should ask how you're alive, but I have a fair idea," she said.

"So what do you want to know?" he asked.

He said it not to negotiate, but to tease. He would never tell her what she wanted to know and as a former N7 student he wouldn't easily break under torture, and he knew that as well as she did. He just wanted to give her a small glimmer of hope, make her think he would work with her, when all he wanted was an excuse to piss her off.

"Nothing," she said.

"What?" he gasped. "Then why did you bring me here?"

"For a proper execution," she replied. "Last time we left you alone, anyone could have come in or out in. Chances are someone on the inside injected you with some formula to slow your heart and fake death, and then you was discreetly taken out and released."

"And _you_ are going kill me?" he asked. "Slowly, painfully?"

"No, quickly and cleanly," she corrected. "I want you out of our life and your remains burned."

He pulled a face.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"You don't know the truth about Cerberus or our leader," he pointed out. "You don't know where our base is, and yet you'll kill me without even trying to extract information. Why?"

"Because I already know what I need," she said. "I know who your boss is and where he is. You're not the only one with powerful contacts."

Seraphina made a gesture and Samara passed her a weapon, a regular pistol. Kai Leng watched her carefully, trying to read her expression. She couldn't be serious. She really wasn't going to kill him, was she? She knew nothing, she was bluffing, what she was playing at?

"Before you kill me," he said, "I need to know. Who is the leader of Cerberus?"

Seraphina pushed the barrel of the gun to his head, and she pulled the trigger. His head snapped back and a thick spray of red hit the wall, spreading far like a macabre painting. She passed the gun back to the Justicar and turned away from him.

"I would have thought you would honour his last request," Samara commented.

"He only asked because he thought I didn't know," she answered. "He was testing me, to see if I was bluffing. Besides, I have nothing to prove to him."

Seraphina knew who the Illusive Man was, she knew where his base was located and in what star system, but they weren't ready - not yet. Her team was still getting stronger, only when they were strong enough to face this challenge could she give EDI the location of Cerberus' strong hold.

They couldn't wait too long, though, each day they waited the more terrible things Cerberus did. She hoped that soon she could rely on her team, and that whenever that day came it would be soon.

"I'm coming for you... Jack Harper."

...

Primarch Vorsit Vakarian sat in his room, listening to the commotion outside as guards surveyed the estate in fear of another assassin and a Hierarchy representative took statements from Garrus and Solana. Vorsit tried to ignore them as he remembered Gilbert's confession.

His words had cut deeper than anyone could have thought. Gilbert's annoyance at losing power was not what bothered Vorsit. That was the way of the world, someone more capable took the position they deserved and Gilbert was not a true turian if he did not realize that was how Palaven worked.

What _did_ bother Vorsit was Gilbert's comments about his children.

_"... when you died I would be able to care for them in a way you couldn't and actually show them a little love!"_

He had never thought he was cruel to his children, he had always thought he treated them fairly and tried to help them to achieve the best. He wanted nothing but the best for his children, and now he realized in doing so he had pushed Garrus away.

He could never accept a position within C-Sec as anything worthwhile or even begin to compare it to an admiral or general's position, even Verten had a higher position of power and Vorsit never imagined his youngest son would do better than Garrus.

_"Don't use us to justify your actions."_

The door opened and Garrus entered his father's room, his weapon swung over his shoulder and an expression on his face that was just a little bit of annoyance and a lot of frustration. He knew his son had a great hatred for Kai Leng, Solana had said so, and having him come back from the dead was enough to make his son looked decades older.

"Gilbert's body has been disposed of and a bonfire is being prepared in the backyard to dispose of Kai Leng," he informed his father. "Once we know for sure he's not coming back we'll be leaving, the guards will return to their regular duty. If you need anything just call."

"Is that all?" Vorsit asked.

"... Take care of Mom," Garrus said. "And Verten, he's the baby of the family so he needs extra care."

"What will you do?" he asked.

"I'll return to the Normandy and continue fighting Cerberus," Garrus shrugged. "Same as fighting any other threat, I suppose."

"Except this one has made you a nomad on a dangerous journey," his father remarked. "I bet you never had problems like that in C-Sec."

"In C-Sec we tried to stop gangs from using kids to run in the vents and get them killed," Garrus said. "I got tired of pulling shredded kids out from the blade's of the fans, so I decided to put a stop to it - and did. We got rid of corrupted officers and diplomats when they made things hard for civilians. We made the Citadel a safer place to live. We did what we could with what we had and we made it better."

"Are we really going to talk about this now?" Vorsit sighed.

"Yeah, we need to get this out of the way," Garrus said. "You may not see me again for weeks, maybe even months and years. I want the air cleared for Mom's sake."

"Alright then," Vorsit stood and walked to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you Garrus."

"W... wait, w-what?" Garrus stuttered. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I am," Vorsit said. "Maybe I should have been... more open with my feelings, and I won't deny that when you went to C-Sec I was saddened. I didn't want to tell people my sons were a general, a representative and a C-Sec officer. I know now it was wrong, your work is not any less important than Verten's or Algemein's."

Garrus was silent and a small part of him didn't believe his father's words. He tried to seek out any hint of a lie or deceit, but his father's gaze was stern and he meant every word he said. Garrus wasn't quite sure how to react, how do you respond to something you longed to hear but never expected to happen?

Vorsit smiled and squeezed his son's shoulder, "I'll be proud to tell my friends and fellow officers my son cleaned up the Citadel."

Garrus did the only thing he could; he smiled at his father's words and felt pride. It may have been a sin, but coming from his father, such words of pride couldn't be anything but a great honour.

...

Garrus looked back at his home planet as the Normandy left the docking port and headed for the stars. For some reason, Palaven's lights seemed so much brighter now. He had only a few short minutes with his sister before he had to leave, but it was enough to inform her of the good news.

_"You and dad are finally on good terms?"_ she had beamed. _"Excellent! I can't wait to tell mom when she gets back from Illium!"_

It _was_ good, he had never expected his father would be so... understanding. He had thought his father would have continued to look down at him and all of his achievements, but now Garrus realized his father had just never understood the work his son did and needed a good talking too.

Perhaps he should have done so earlier, but he knew their relationship was not yet healed, just on the path of recovery and he knew it was going to be a long road. Once the journey was over, though, it would have been worth it.

He sensed a presence behind him and Seraphina entered the observation deck.

"How are you feeling?" Seraphina asked.

"Better than I did going there," he said honestly. "I should be sad that Gilbert betrayed us, but I'm starting to learn that it's dangerous to trust anyone within the government. We couldn't even trust Udina and I'm sure as hell not going to trust the new asari or human councillor."

"Until Cerberus is out of the picture we can't begin a full sweep and get rid of the corrupt," she agreed. "Liara may now be the Shadow Broker but there's still a lot she doesn't know and won't know until she gets through all the files."

"We know where Cerberus is, don't we?" Garrus said. "Why don't we just end this now?"

"Because we aren't ready," she said. "We've got good allies and a great ship, but still... I just don't feel confident we can do it."

What she admitted, it was big, to know his commanding officer was not confident her men possessed the ability to defeat Cerberus spoke volumes about her feelings and how she felt about her subordinates abilities. He wondered, was it true, were they not strong enough to defeat the Illusive Man?

"I can guess what you're thinking," she continued. "My doubts don't come from your abilities. You are all strong and capable, what I fear... is our success. We don't know what Cerberus has in there. If he has more assassins like Kai Leng or more monsters like the ones Giriko created then our small team will be caught off guard and destroyed. I won't go in until we know what we're up against."

"Then I guess we need to do a bit more digging," he said.

Garrus' Omni-tool lit up with a new message. He frowned at it, not recognizing the sender address.

"I wonder who this could be..." he wondered.

He opened the message and Seraphina watched as a look of horror came over his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "What happened?"

"It's from Krona," he answered.

"Krona?" she repeated. "Oh... that professor who helped us in the Lazarus Research Station?"

He nodded. "He's got information on Giriko's whereabouts," he answered. "Worse still... he's using krogan parts to try to create a perfect human..."

_To Be Continued..._


	35. Thirty-Fourth Assignment

**Thirty-Fourth Assignment**

_Garrus, _

_ I know to e-mail you now must seem terribly inappropriate considering I am so in indebted to you for saving me and my dear companion from Giriko on that cursed station, but I believe what I have uncovered is important and you will certainly want to do something about it._

_Go to Korlus in the Milky Way/Eagle Nebula/Imir System/Second planet and there you will find a facility where Giriko is experimenting on krogan in an attempt to create the 'perfect human'. I don't know how he's faring, but no doubt he's causing harm to innocent people. I also heard he 'kidnapped' Warlord Okeer, possibly to assist him in his experiments._

_I know you hate Giriko as much as I do and if I had any power I would do something about it myself, but I cannot and you can - you can stop him. So please, do what I cannot and save those krogan!_

...**  
**

_Korlus_

The air seemed thick with despair, above smog chocked the sky and below bodies of fallen warriors littered the ground like red banners. Fighters of the Blue Suns scarred the land with bullets and blood, a true good civilian was hard to come by and fear and crime were as ripe as the fear in their hurts.

In comparison, Omega almost seemed like a vacation.

The grime of the city furthered the decay of humanity and freedom, while the tower blocks were dark and the few good people of Korlus walked with weapons and security, too afraid of their own planet and its people to take the simple risk of a walk.

It seemed the perfect place for a mad man like Giriko to hide. In a world where scavengers of all sorts came for a scrap of power it was no surprise Giriko had dug himself a little hole amongst the dark and death.

They had changed course for Korlus shortly after receiving Professor Krona's message and this time they couldn't stop Wrex from coming along. This was his people Giriko was butchering and now he had pissed off two very powerful alien Spectre's.

Seraphina wondered if he had a death wish or really just didn't care about the enemies he made.

They took the shuttle through the narrow twists and turns of Korlus, while the Normandy stayed air born. There was no guarantee that someone would _not_ try to steal a profit from such a magnificent ship, while it was unlikely someone would accomplish this goal they still couldn't risk any damage.

They passed broken homes and fallen shelters, flying over conflicts and fires and Seraphina wondered why nothing had been done to cleanse the world of this corruption. The Councillors had so much power yet they did nothing, or maybe there was nothing they could do from where they were.

Maybe she could do something.

She was certain she would end up on Tuchanka with Wrex, she had skills she could use to help make life better for all, but it didn't mean she had to focus on Tuchanka. If they succeeded in taking down Cerberus then the Councillors would be so grateful that they may even promote her, what power she would be given she would use to make things better.

"Where exactly are we going?" Wrex asked.

"A facility that used to manufacture old ship parts," Garrus replied. "Apparently Okeer turned it into a research facility some years back and now Giriko's got it."

"Does that name Okeer mean anything to you, Wrex?" Seraphina asked.

"Yeah..." he said. "Warlord Okeer is a militant radical who was so ruthless that even his own people cast him out. He thought the Genophage was a good thing. To him, it weeded out the weak to make room for the strong. He's old too, older than the Rebellions."

"If he's so bad then Giriko may not have kidnapped him," Garrus observed. "What research could Okeer be conducting in order to have such a large facility?"

"No one knows for sure," Wrex answered. "But he _is_ obsessed with this idea of 'perfect genes'... something he has in common with Giriko."

"It sounds like two mad men with a common goal," Seraphina remarked. "We have to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

"You may be too late..." Wrex said as he pointed at an image on the terminal.

"Are they..." Seraphina gasped. "Those are bodies!"

The terminal showed a pile of bodies, a tower of dead flesh and rotting dreams that was nearly as tall as a small building. Were these the rejects of a failed experiment or poor lost souls who had given their lives in search of a lost cause?

"Take us down," Seraphina's ordered coldly.

The shuttle landed and they stepped off, coming to a stop before the pile of bodies that had been left to decay in the suffocating heat. Seraphina examined each body, each krogan vessel that was missing an eye or a leg or had their chest torn open and their insides violated.

"What the hell are they doing?" Seraphina growled. "What's worth all this pain?"

Wrex spotted something, a figure hiding behind the bodies of fallen brethren, and he pushed Seraphina back and raised his weapon. Seraphina spotted the creature, its eyes dull and unfeeling, and she felt no danger in the presence of such a broken creature. She took a step forwards, outstretching her hand.

"Come here," she said soothingly. "I won't hurt you."

The creature hesitated, then slowly moved forwards, neither scared of the glaring Wrex or the turian with the rifle. They saw now it was just a krogan, probably a few years younger than Wrex, whose eyes were scarred by what he had seen while his left arm had been mangled in a patchy operation, causing the skin to be terribly stitched together and hang limply.

"See, I won't hurt you," she said. "Let me help you."

"No..." he said slowly, as if he struggled with words. "I am... impure. The Voice, it said so, I must die here with them..."

"Voice?" she repeated. "What voice? Who did this?"

"I... don't know," he answered. "All I know is Tank Mother. She teaches us, we... _grow_ within her. Then the Voice comes and decides our fate. He says... things, like 'Almost' and 'Not quite'... and takes a part of us and then leaves us here."

"You... accept this?" Wrex asked. "You just wait here to die?"

"Yes..." the tank born replied. "The Voice says and we obey."

"So he creates these poor bastards and then just rips limbs or organs out of them if they're not 'perfect'?" Garrus snarled. "Now I _really_ can't wait to see this guy."

"Let us help you," Seraphina insisted. "We can fix your arm-"

"No," he said calmly and sat down before the pile. "I am fine. I am this. Nothing more."

She wanted to protest, she wanted to take him from this place and care for him and see him grow and prosper. Yet he was so accepting of what he thought to be fate, he thought this was all there was and he didn't want to change it. He wouldn't go with her even if she begged.

She couldn't understand it, but there was nothing she could at the moment. They had to find Giriko and Okeer and stop them before any more of these unwilling and soulless beings were sadly created and left to accept an empty existence.

"I will come back for you..." she promised. "Don't die on me."

He said nothing, just stared ahead with those dark and empty eyes.

They hesitantly left him and entered the large and dark building, coming to the first circle of hell.

...

Giriko smiled, a huge grin that split across his face, reminding Okeer of a human term he had once heard many years ago. If only he could remember it. Giriko turned the terminal to Okeer, showing him the three Spectre's who were making their way through the old desolate place.

Giriko had far too much excitement for a man with far too many enemies, and his smile... it was so unsettling. If only Okeer could remember the name of the technique when a person's mouth was slit all the way to the ears, creating a terrifying and constant grin.

What _was_ it called?

"I was hoping Garrus would come," Giriko said. "He will be such an interesting subject once I get my hands on him."

He noticed Okeer's vacant expression. His smile slightly wavered.

"Something bothering you?" he asked. "You can have the krogan, I don't want him."

"Hmm, krogan?" Okeer now noticed the krogan. "Oh, yes... I see him now... Who's the human? You never mentioned her."

"Er, I think her name is Urdnot-Shepard," Giriko replied. "She and the krogan are mated, though her first name is Seraphina and her full title is Commander Seraphina Urdnot-Shepard they refer to her just as Urdnot-Shepard instead of her title."

"I've heard stories," Okeer said. "I just never thought she would be so... normal in appearance. I almost expected some butch female covered in scars."

"Yes, her reputation does precede her in all the wrong ways," Giriko laughed.

Okeer continued to stare at him, raking his brain for the answer to such a simple question. Giriko rather found the old krogan's staring uncomfortable, though he had very little respect for the Warlord his work was rather admirable and he wondered what was going on in his head.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I was just thinking of a very specific wound that reminds me of your face," Okeer replied.

"Oh? Should I be worried?" Giriko teased.

"No, I just can't remember what it's -" it struck him then. "Ah yes, now I remember. A Glasgow Smile."

"I thought they were called a Chelsea Grin," Giriko remarked.

"I believe it originated from Glasgow, Scotland," Okeer replied. "You should know this. You are human - mostly. I can't say for sure what else could be inside of you."

Okeer left him then, unconcerned with these strangers and what they wanted and instead decided to focus on his own work. Giriko watched him go, a dark shadow crossing his face as Warlord's comment stung. He hated it when someone knew more than him, though it was a rare occurrence.

He closed the terminal and picked up a shard of glass from the desk, he just managed to make out his smile in the reflection and he felt some pride in being compared to such a creative manoeuvre. He had always been known for his smile, so perhaps it was time he was a little bit more recognizable.

...

They went in further, coming to a split in the building's structure that had clearly been marked. One wall had been painted red and was given the simple initials of S.A, while the other was just a patch of blue. It seemed like a very simple way of marking one another's territory.

Giriko didn't want Okeer near his research notes and vice versa, perhaps the relationship was based more on a common belief in genetic perfection than sharing notes. It was hard to determine who would be more protected, Okeer had lived so long for a reason that wasn't necessarily his intelligence and Giriko was a slippery bastard who always got away.

"I'll go after Giriko," Garrus said. "He'll be expecting me. He still wants me for research so his security shouldn't be too tight."

"I'll find Okeer then," Seraphina said. "I'll sneak in and out, no one will ever see me."

"I'm coming with you," Wrex said.

"No, I'll be quicker on my own," she assured him. "We don't know Okeer's situation, though I doubt he's innocent he may not be entirely with Giriko."

"Alright, Commander," Wrex teased. "Just be safe."

Seraphina quickly made her way into the unknown, while Garrus and Wrex readied themselves for whatever horror Giriko was prepared to throw at them.

...

The further they went into Giriko's territory the darker it became, with more bodies scattered across the floor as if they had just given up on life and took the floor as their grave. Wrex kept his gun close, his body chilled to the bone at the sight of the creatures.

They followed a narrow platform up higher into the building, several large holes in the ceiling serving them well as it provided some dimmed light. Below and around them were pipes, thick and large, that climbed high to the heavens and down low into the dark hell.

They walked with the pace of two men keen on leaving the dark, the pace of men who almost feared the dark and there was little Wrex feared. They focused so much on the world before them that they forgot about the looming darkness behind them.

In the silence creatures twitched and groaned, they stood and walked with pained steps. In the gloom the fallen soldiers stood, dripping with blood and fluids, muscle torn and stretched to make way for a genetic upgrade that had ruined them.

Wrex and Garrus heard the chilling noises and turned, eyes wide with horror as Frankenstein's monster's came craving for flesh.

...

Seraphina moved quickly, tracing a path along the pipes instead of the runway. She was uncomfortable with the thought of walking alongside the fallen in such a hell, it was almost like their souls had become attached to this place and refused to leave. It somewhat reminded her of a horror film.

She kept going with a prose much unlike her, it wasn't often she had the opportunity to be so lithe in her movements. She was reminded of her days in the N7 Academy, that one teacher who was so keen on gymnastics and insisted everyone knew the basics. Those had been some of the harder days.

Eventually she saw a light, flickering in the distance, and picked up the pace. She jumped over to the platform and crept low, becoming one with the shadows as she peered around the corner and saw an old krogan sat at an old desk.

It was almost charming, a man of a different time who sat by low light as he conducted his research. A krogan with intelligence was so rare during the Rebellions, krogan just fought as a means of living and had little concern for anything else. How out of time he must have felt.

She raised her gun and aimed for the back of his head, pushing the barrel against his crests. He raised his hand, though she imagined he hardly felt the gun, he just knew she was coming.

"I'd rather not hurt you, Okeer," she said, "but if I know you had anything to do with those poor krogan's outside-"

"My rejects, you mean?" he said. "They were mine. I admit it. You may shoot me, but first I have a request."

"Why should I listen?" she asked. "After what you did-!"

"Because I am dying, Urdnot-Shepard," he quickly answered. "Krogan can live for a very long time, but it seems once we reach over a millennia the Void insists on pulling us back."

"You die and no more suffer," she says, "it's not that great a loss."

"One more suffers, if I die," he insisted. "Look to the far corner of the room."

Seraphina hesitated, wondering if it was just a trick for her to drop her guard and give him an opening for attack or escape. She _could_ just steal quick glance, but she needed insurance that he wouldn't try anything. She kept the gun in place and summoned a small biotic field, pinning him to his seat.

He didn't protest.

She glanced over to the far corner of the room and saw it, the reason for all the fallen krogan and butchered bodies, the reason behind the loss of so many lives, no matter how simple they were. Seraphina saw the end product of all Okeer's research, lying in a baby's cot.

...

Garrus ducked as a fallen limb threw overheard and he released another grenade, watching as the bodies exploded and chunks of bloody meat hit the ground. A creature grabbed him, face half-destroyed from a terrible surgical implant, and it tried to bite him.

He had felt a creature's bite before, its teeth had sunken clean into his flesh and its claws had torn his side. He felt blood on his face and hands, it made his grip slippery and weak. He glanced at Wrex and saw he was in no better a condition.

He shot it in the face, throwing it into the next oncoming monster. Wrex kicked one and blew another away, smashing the end of his gun into some abominations face. He ignored the fact he and these creatures were one of the same, for now they were just monsters.

"Why are they after us?" Wrex demanded. "I thought Giriko wanted you for his experiments!"

"He does," Garrus said, "but I guess he doesn't like you!"

Wrex punched a creature, smashing its jaw and face. He searched for an exit as the creatures came forwards. But there was just so many creatures, it seemed like there was more of them now than before. Where were they coming from? They had a time limit and needed to apprehend Giriko before he got away again. Garrus couldn't let him continue his work.

Wrex snatched a grenade from Garrus' belt and grabbed the turian, throwing him further up the path. He threw the grenade and the platform exploded, the metal buckling and sending the creatures spiralling down into the dark. Wrex ran as the ground beneath him crumpled and broke, breaking away in parts with a screeching twist of metal.

He dived forwards, landing beside Garrus as the final bit of path fell into the gloom below and the cries of the damned faded away.

Garrus punched his arm. "You idiot!" he cried. "You could have died! Did you ever think about what Seraphina would do to me if she found out I let you risk your life so stupidly?!"

"Oh yes, forgive me for being so selfish," Wrex rolled his eyes. "Never mind the fact I saved your sorry ass!"

Garrus smirked and stood, pulling Wrex to his feet.

"Come on," he said. "We must be close. We can't let Giriko get away again."

Wrex nodded and they walked the short distance to the office. The door was open and inside was quiet. Garrus growled, the silence couldn't have been a good sign. They rushed inside and found Giriko, standing crouched on the window's edge.

"Stop!" Garrus ordered. "No more running! This ends now!"

"How cliché," Giriko laughed. "I expected a corny line, but this is too perfect."

"Listen, weirdo," Wrex growled, "you either fall out of the window or die or we'll shoot you and you die."

"Tempting," Giriko said, "but I'm not ready to die yet."

He turned to them, a shard of bloody glass in one hand and a jagged smile on his face. He licked the blood from his face and opened his mouth slightly in order to show them the way the raw skin stretched as his new Glasgow Smile sent ripples of blood down his face.

"I must run," he waved. "My new smile is starting to hurt and its best I get some medical attention."

"Stop-"

He jumped. They dashed to the window, hearts racing as they feared letting the sadist go free. They saw him land into a shuttle, flashing a bloody grin as the doors closed and they flew from sight. Garrus watched the vessel vanish and he roared in anguish.

He turned and slammed his fists onto the desk, his claws digging into the palm of his hand, his jaw trembling. Wrex observed the turian carefully, wondering if an enraged turian was anything as scary as an angry female human.

"Garrus..."

"Don't."

"This wasn't your fault."

"How could it not be my fault?" Garrus roared. "I let him get away - _again!_ If I had been faster before then all of these krogan wouldn't have died! Who will suffer now because of my failure?"

"We both failed," Wrex said. "We share the blame and the deaths on our conscious. So now you either cry over people you couldn't save or focus on the future and the lives you _can_ save."

Garrus felt his fists loosen, but his hatred didn't diminish. This was his fault alone, Wrex wasn't the one could have aimed better back at the Lazarus Base and killed Giriko instead of just slowing him down. It was all Garrus' fault, and he needed to somehow repent for his mistakes.

"Come on," Wrex said, "Seraphina must have captured Okeer by now."

Garrus nodded, "I guess one out of two isn't too bad."

They had to take the pipes back, as with the path gone there was no other way around, though they found it was much quicker and they could avoid the rest of those damned monsters. They wished they had taken that route earlier. They jumped onto the second platform and came to the office.

They saw an old krogan sat at his desk, slumped over his work. Wrex approached him, poking the forgotten Warlord with his gun. Okeer didn't stir. Wrex checked his a pulse, searching for any sign of life, but there was none.

"He's dead?" Garrus asked. "How?"

Another voice answered, "It was just his time..."

They saw Seraphina now, standing in the far corner of the room. The relief on Wrex's face was clear, every time they went into battle he feared losing her and what they had built together, but every time she came back he knew his fears were misplaced.

"What do you mean, it was his time?" Garrus asked.

"He was very old," she said, "are you really surprised he died?"

"I... guess not," Garrus said.

Wrex spotted something, hidden behind Seraphina's back, and he took a step towards it. He couldn't quite make it out, as he got closer, though, he managed to make out a shape.

"Seraph... what are you hiding?" he asked.

She turned away guiltily and picked something up from a cot, she held it carefully in her arms as she turned to them. Garrus frowned at the bundle in her arms, mistaking it for something else because of its size, but on approach he saw it for what it was.

Okeer's research. The end of all things. A baby krogan with the faintest trace of silver crest's and blue eyes.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_I've seen a lot of images for the new Omega DLC and I'm so excited to see a female turian who will be fighting alongside you and that Aria will also be a team mate! I think they should have been included in the game anyway, but what do you all think?_


	36. Thirty-Fifth Assignment

**Thirty-Fifth Assignment**

_The SSV Normandy SR-1_

They watched the small creature as one would a dangerous animal - still, silent and trying to not break eye contact. The smallest of slip-ups could result in loud crying, and then tears and both of those together were worse than a vorcha singing.

None of them was willing to take the risk, too afraid of the reaction and of the unknown to risk upsetting the blue-eyed baby on the bed. If it had been a human baby Seraphina could have handled it, even Garrus could handle a turian baby, but a _krogan_ child?

Not even Wrex knew how to handle a child of his own species, so how the hell was Seraphina and Garrus supposed to handle it? Wrex guessed the child to be somewhere around the human equivalent of eleven months, which means in krogan terms he was no older than a month and a half.

Krogan age at a rate much faster than humans and turians, something to even rival salarians if the latter had a longer life span. In comparison to a human who needs several years to fully develop verbal skills, the ability to walk and coherently think and express thoughts a krogan child needs half that time, reaching a fair rate of maturity at only three years and then eventually hitting puberty some years later, which lasts somewhat longer than a human as krogan crests take some time to fully connect.

This fast development is what allows krogan to be so huge at so young an age, the child before them was so young yet bigger than any human child could ever be. He sat up with ease with large blue eyes and the faintest trace of almost silver crests; he stared back at them as intently as they stared at him.

"Tell me again, Seraph," Wrex asked, "what made you think bringing this kid on-board was a good idea?"

"What choice did I have?" she returned. "If I left him he would have died."

"Or Giriko may have come back for him," Garrus added. "There's no guarantee he didn't know about him, and then what? Could you live with the fact you left a child in Giriko's hands?"

Wrex bared his teeth, not in anger, but annoyance. Garrus was right, after all the mutated krogan they had to put down there was only one life they could save, and if Seraphina hadn't the heart to hear Okeer out then an innocent life would have been left to defend itself.

And on Korlus an innocent life didn't last very long when left on its own.

"What did Okeer tell you, exactly?" Wrex asked her.

"It had something to do with his research," she replied. "He said everything he had done up to this point had been worth the life of one child..."

...

_Korlus, An Hour Earlier_

_Seraphina stared at the cot, hearing the faint rustle of fabric as the thing inside moved. Okeer tried to move his head, to see her reaction, but he was still bound by her biotic hold. She released him and grabbed him, turning him to face her._

_"What is that?" she demanded. "What have you done?"_

_"If you're insinuating I stole that child and have done terrible things to him I am offended," he replied. "That child is my own. I created him."_

_"How?" she asked._

_"I genetically engineered him," he answered. "His DNA is the very definition of a true krogan, with the best of my race inside of him. He has DNA from leaders and battle masters, soldiers and politicians, there's even a little bit of Urdnot Wrex in him."_

_"All those dead krogan..." she said, "the ones with no meaning to life and accept it... they were just for one child?"_

_"You don't understand, do you?" Okeer said. "His purpose is to exemplify the best traits of the krogan. He was bred and taught in a tank, but as you can see he is still very small. His teachings will manifest themselves when he becomes much older."_

_"The perfect soldier and he's just a baby?" she said. "I see some flawed logic there."_

_"I couldn't grow an adult krogan in a tank without alerting Giriko to my intentions," Okeer explained. "He wanted the spare parts from my failed soldiers, those creatures with 'no meaning to life', as you put it. He was suspicious of those creatures, if he discovered Grunt-"_

_"Grunt?" she said. "What kind of name is that for a child?"_

_"He's not a child," he insisted. "He's a soldier... or will be, one day, with your guidance."_

_Seraphina furrowed her brows and took a step back; she walked over to the cot and looked down at the krogan child who lay asleep. He seemed so peaceful, how could something so small and sweet be someone's tool? Okeer wanted 'Grunt' to be the best of the krogan, but why?_

_"Did you make him because you thought the krogan race was weak?" she asked. "Or was there some other reason? I know you have no children of your own, so why risk weak genes in breeding when you could just make your own child?"_

_"Don't think me to have sentimental feelings," he avoided her questions. "Grunt is my tool, nothing more."_

_"Right..." she smirked slightly. "If I took... Grunt... wouldn't it contradict your reason for creating him? He's supposed to serve krogan, if I take him in - a human -"_

_"This is what I want," Okeer assured her. "If I didn't... I wouldn't have told Krona where to find Giriko."_

_"You..." she didn't finish, she saw no reason to._

_Okeer wanted Grunt to be safe from Giriko and he could longer care for him, he chose who he thought would be best to care for his legacy. He must have had a high opinion of Seraphina and her men to want to take the risk of handing Grunt over to her._

_"You can rest easy," she said. "I'll take care of Grunt."_

_"Good," he smiled. "Good... now I can rest."_

_She watched as he turned to face his desk and he looked at some work, though his shoulders sagged and his breath slowed he kept that calm smile on his intelligent face as the last of his life was whisked away. He was holding on for the very last moment, fighting death until Grunt had someone to watch over him._

...

Seraphina finished her story and they all had a lingering image of the krogan they had met, the ones with the dead eyes who had accepted his fate. When they went outside to retrieve him and try to help him they found he was already gone. He had stayed there, as if waiting for him, and just passed away.

Wrex wondered what would happen to Grunt if he had been left alone, would Giriko had come for him and turned him into something like Tungel? Or would he have been left to fade away, to rot into something not quite krogan and remain outside in the cold with the rest of the damned?

He would rather not think of all the terrible possibilites, not when Grunt was safe.

"We can't tell anyone about him yet," Wrex ordered. "Every science committee and medical journey will want to get their hands on him, and who knows how the krogan will react to what Okeer did to create him."

"I'll take him to Mordin then," she said. "He can run a scan or something, make sure he's okay."

"Then I'm going to try and track down Giriko," Garrus said. "He can't have gotten too far."

He left the room, giving a short wave, and dissapeared as the door closed. Wrex looked back at the child, who throughout the whole thing had sat there silently and calmly, as if listening to the whole thing. Okeer did mention he taught the child, but what kind of things did he teach him?

"Do you think he knows what we're saying?" he asked her.

"I guess," she shrugged. "Kids pick up things fast, right?"

"That's not what I meant," he said. "What if he knows everything that's going on... but can't talk back yet?"

He watched Grunt carefully, the child's staring vacantly back, and then his small face burst into a wide smile as he beamed at him. Wrex took a step back, trying not to consider how he and this child were related if he truly did contain some of Wrex's DNA.

"Just... take him to Mordin," he said.

"Okay," she said and carefully picked the child. "He's... heavy," she grunted.

"He's a krogan," Wrex said, "of course he's heavy!"

She kissed him goodbye and left with the small child, who clung to her like a koala bear. He noticed the child raise his hand, as if to wave, and he waved back.

...

Mordin ran a few scans and did a blood test, he mumbled away as he examined the results and would occasionally rub the child's head when he passed back. Seraphina watched all of this patiently, while Grunt just sat there, chewing on his hand.

Eventually Mordin settled and put down his data pad.

"Good news," he said, "child is healthy and stable. Growth hormone still in system, but will go."

"Growth hormone?" she repeated. "I didn't know about that."

"Common ingredient in growing specimens," he explained. "Hormone speeds up tank born development, traces still remain, should wear off soon. Keep an eye on him, may change."

"So he may get... bigger?" she said.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Brain will change too, learns quickly."

Mordin picked up Grunt and held the baby in his arms.

Grunt chewed on the salarians arm, thankfully his teeth were yet to develop and so Mordin was more than happy to allow him to continue. Seraphina was surprised at how good Mordin was with the child, she wasn't sure why but she never thought of him to be the type to even like children.

"You're very good with him," she said.

"Surprised?" he smirked.

"Uh... yeah," she said. "Don't take it the wrong way, it's just that... never mind."

"Have a soft spot for children," Mordin told her. "Especially krogan."

"Why?" she asked.

Mordin glanced down at the child, Grunt stared back with his large blue eyes, innocent and smiling. Mordin sighed heavily and looked at her, a dark look in his eyes like a man about to confess something terrible.

"I... cured the Genophage," he announced.

"_You_ did?" she said. "But... that's great! You gave the krogan back the ability to have children. If not for you... I would never have known Wrex."

Despite her praise he still looked terribly sad, with the darkest of moods hanging over him. There was more to his story, so much more that he had not been able to tell a single soul, but now with Grunt in his arms he couldn't stop the truth from pouring out of him.

"Original mission was to strengthen Genophage," Mordin confessed. "Krogan were growing immune, Dalatrass didn't want krogan to breed. But I... changed it. No one in team knew, when krogan found out thought it was a peace treaty, no representative could say differently."

"You helped the krogan..." she said. "You shouldn't be ashamed of what you could have done. You did what you thought was right and you changed the universe, you should be praised for what you did."

He smiled weakly, "Perhaps..." he said. "Happy Wrex is here. Happy for you."

She smiled at him, and a small part of her wondered what else she didn't know about her crew. They had so much potential she hadn't yet taken into consideration, so much heart, were they ready to face Cerberus? They had the ability, and the power, so what was stopping them?

...

While Grunt was analysed and Garrus continued his search forr Giriko, Wrex remained in Seraphina's room and stared at a picture of the three Spectre's. It had been taken some time ago, perhaps around the time the team was renamed as Heracles Company, it couldn't have been too long ago as Mordin and Liara could be seen in the background.

He considered many things while he sat there, he thought of the future, the past and all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. He felt the climax was approaching, the end of their career as Spectre's would came with the fall of Cerberus.

He knew the Councillors would never keep them around, they had served their purpose and they would either be promoted to some other position that required little effort or would be put in charge of some unit, sending other men to do his work.

He would quit before that time came, and it was fast approaching. Seraphina couldn't keep delaying the inevitable. Cerberus was weakening, with more and more raids on their facilities organized by them and the Shadow Broker and the organization's top men being systematically taken out either the Spectre's or the Illusive Man were going to make a bold move that would decide the fate of the entire battle.

And then what?

Would Seraphina really come with him to Tuchanka? Would Garrus continue to chase Giriko? Where would Mordin and Tungel go? What would become of Grunt? The future was as yet unwritten, there was so much uncertainty that he regretted not having some sort of power over fate.

He set the picture aside and went in search of Seraphina, they were in need of a long talk and get the future sorted. He knew it scared her, whenever he brought it up she would argue he needed to focus on the present, but the fact was she was too scared to think of a future when they could still fail.

After all, she was still human, and everyone had their fears. Even krogan.

He entered the corridor and made his way to the infirmary, when he stopped at the sight of someone in white armour. It didn't take him long to realize something was wrong, one glance and he knew who had gotten on-board the Normandy.

He fired up his biotic powers and charged, smashing his elbow into the Cerberus' operatives face and knocking him to the ground. More operatives turned on him and fired, he knocked them back with a throw technique and ran through the fallen bodies. He heard gun fire and men barking orders, in so short a time everything had fallen into chaos.

"EDI, what the hell is happening?" he demanded. "How did they get on board?"

EDI tried to talk, but her words warped and were replaced by a loud static. At least now he understood how they got on-board, a virus that could put EDI out of commission would turn the whole Normandy's system offline, allowing Cerberus to get on without anyone knowing.

He made his way to the infirmary, passing over fallen Cerberus guards, and found the infirmary's doors scorched and stuck mid-way. He felt panic rise in his stomach, but refused to believe the worst. He squeezed through the doors and spotted Mordin in the corner, his forehead cut and bleeding and he clutched his one arm.

"Solus!" he gasped. "You alive?"

Mordin smiled weakly, "Y-yes..."

Wrex looked around and saw the infirmary was in a state, with dead Cerberus agents on the ground and fallen and broken equipment. But Seraphina and Grunt were nowhere in sight, had they gotten away to safety? He grabbed his salarian friend and helped him onto the patient bed.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Cerberus attacked," Mordin answered. "Shepard hid Grunt, fought them off, but..."

A gunshot could be heard outside and a figure went flying through the air as a biotic blow broke them in two. The crew was holding their own against the opposition and Cerberus was fleeing, this was far too easy. This felt too much like a hit and run attack.

"Where's Seraphina and Grunt?" Wrex asked. "Where did they go?"

Mordin looked down and Wrex felt that cold pit of regret rise up.

"No..." he said. "No! How did they get them?!"

"Operative grabbed Grunt, offered not to hurt him if Shepard went with them," Mordin answered. "I'm sorry, couldn't help her."

"I... you did what you could," Wrex said. "Now it's time for me to do something."

...

Mordin and several others lay in the infirmary, mostly the civilian s on-board not equipped in combat. Garrus and Samara had helped clear most of the ship, while Tali and her drone had helped keep the engine clean with the help of her drone.

The dead operatives were all carted into one room, while a few were kept alive in order to interrogate. They had left the interrogating to Samara, with her skills she would crack them within a few minutes. But it didn't matter - because Wrex already knew where Seraphina was and what Cerberus' plan was.

Garrus left the infirmary after checking on Mordin and came to stand beside his friend.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Pissed off," Wrex said, "but I think everyone else is too."

"EDI's back online so we'll be able to head out soon and extract some revenge," Garrus assured him.

"We can go as soon as Liara gets back," Wrex said.

"Liara? When did you call her?" Garrus asked.

"Just after I heard Seraphina had been taken," Wrex answered. "I know where they took her and why. It's all part of the Illusive Man's plan to destroy us and win this damn war. But I'm not going to let him win."

"Who put you in charge?" Garrus smirked.

"No one did," Wrex said. "But I'm the only one here with any kind of plan."

"_You've_ got a plan?" he laughed.

"Yes," Wrex said seriously. "I've got a plan. And it's going to work, but only if you guys will work with me."

"You honestly think we wouldn't agree to this plan?" Garrus asked. "Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

"Good," he said, "'cause this maybe a suicide mission."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_THE END IS NIGH._


	37. Thirty-Sixth Assignment

**Thirty-Sixth Assignment**

_Cronos Station, Anadius, Horsehead Nebula_

Seraphina sat facing a silhouette of a man, behind him a dying sun struggled to further its existence and inside she felt an anger that burned brighter. After everything that had happened, after searching in vain in all those bases and interogating so many, Seraphina had come to the root of all evil.

He had come for her, and for Grunt, he had come for her family as he always did. He hurt others in order to further his own plans. And all for mankind, he would argue. It wasn't an excuse, the torture and pain of others was never an excuse for any cause.

She couldn't believe how close she was to him.

The one who had manipulated so many and caused so much harm was so close. With one order he could have ended it all, he could have stopped people like Senn Giriko from indulging in his sick fantasy, he could have saved all those krogan, Anderson and Tevos could have lived, and that child who died at the hands of T'goni...

It seemed like a life time ago, the first child who had died because of her, and she promised it was going to be the last. The sex-ring Cerberus had established to earn more money, to black-mail those who attended and the families of the poor children, all to further their cause.

She could break free right now and she could break his neck and finish it. But now was not the time. He had taken Grunt away, down into the lower depths of the station, and she couldn't risk doing anything stupid. Her plan couldn't fail because she was too quick.

"I apologize for having to bring you here," he said solemnly. "But you have made things very difficult for me. Too long you have messed up my plans and the only way to handle this situation is to eradicate the problem."

"Then just kill me," she said, "if I'm such a problem."

"_You_ are still useful," he replied. "You won't join me willingly, but blackmail or perhaps even indoctrination will work."

"Blackmail?" she repeated. "...If you touch Grunt, I swear-"

"I won't hurt the child as long as you cooperate," he answered. "After all, once I'm finished he's going to be the only one left."

Her head fell, hanging low as if he had already killed everyone she loved. He didn't turn to her, there was no need to, not when there was a small camera trained on her and a terminal set up before him that was relaying the entire scene.

He couldn't understand her, how could she have such compassion for these creatures? Had she forgotten the First Contact War? She treated them as if they were human, as if they had anything in common. He just couldn't wrap his head around it, despite all of his years fighting, he could never handle life from behind the scope.

"The pain will ease," he assured her. "After time, you won't even remember-"

He was cut off as his room shook violently and he felt the ship rock beneath his feet, a red light flooded his room as an alarm followed. He jumped to his feet, knocking his seat back. The terminals around him turned bright red as a warning flashed and some went off as he lost his connections.

His cigarette fell from his limp grip and he felt his entire world collapse around him. The flaming stick struck the ground, the station shook, and Seraphina smiled. He turned to her, rage flaring in his blue eyes, and he reached for his gun.

"What have you done?" he roared. "What have you _done!?"_

He charged towards her and grabbed her hair, forcing her head back. He pushed the barrel up into her jaw, but her smile didn't waver. He felt panic, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out what could possibly be happening to his organization.

He knew Heracles Company would come for him, it had been his plan since he took Shepard. His goal was to eradicate them quickly, he thought surprising them on their own ship would work, but when it backfired he took her and Grunt and predicted the rest of them would come and then he would shoot them out of the sky.

Something must have gone wrong, they had turned his plan against him, but how? They were just a little force, barely able to compare to Cerberus, even if his whole power was not kept there they should have been able to handle one ship.

Unless...

"Figured it out yet?" she smiled.

He glared at her, but she knew she was right. He released her and he put his gun away, he fixed his suit and smoothed out his hair and appeared as composed as he had been moments earlier. He tried to remain calm, but she saw the tell-tale signs of rage as his fists shook and he gnashed his teeth.

"You thought my team would be so foolish to come alone?" she asked. "You thought they would be so unprepared? Have you forgotten we have the backing of the Councillors? They can track me through a device implanted in my boot and no way would they allow for such an opportunity to seize you slip by!"

He was silent for a long minute, she half-expected him to fly into another rage, but he was calm now and when he spoke it was the tone of a man who had a plan.

"I see," he said. "Your team are very prepared. I underestimated them."

"I never expected you to make such a mistake," she said.

There was another loud thud, like the devil knocking at his door.

"I'd go answer that," she said, "the reaper has come for his due."

...

Not so long before the attack on the Cronos Station Wrex had outlined his plan to Garrus and the crew before speaking with the Councillors. It had taken some convincing, too many minutes wasted on them. If Anderson and Tevos were still alive they would have agreed to the plan straight away, but their replacements were hesitant.

When they did finally agree to Wrex's plan the crew moved straight into action. The injured were left in the Med-Bay where Tungel and Doctor Chakwas stood ready for any more injured, EDI prepared the shuttle for immediate action and the fighters were left to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Wrex looked around at his crew, the few who were able - or rather crazy enough - to take on such a task. Liara and Feron had come from the Broker's base to take part, though it was dangerous to leave the base without its master she trusted it to be safe for a few hours.

If not, she could always retake it.

Tali'Zorah was also an odd addition, he wasn't sure how he felt in bringing her along. She was just a civilian, but she insisted she had the ability to fight. He trusted her to be telling the truth, otherwise she was going to get herself killed.

"Is this enough?" Garrus asked him. "Not included me or you, there's only five of us facing an entire organization."

EDI navigated the ship through a relay and they passed through the Horsehead Nebula, behind the Normandy several other, small ships followed. It was all the Councillors could spare and they were all ships of various origins. Some large and a few small. They would do just fine.

"It's unlikely Cerberus keep their whole force in one station," Wrex answered. "They have bases everywhere, so their forces are probably spread out. There will be a large force inside, though, but we can handle it."

"You really think so?" Garrus asked. "Your plan... it could work, but not without casualties."

Mordin glanced over at the pair, while Liara and Feron spoke quietly and Tali fiddled nervously and Samara meditated, he considered everyone's attitudes and the success rate of their plan. Garrus was right. There would be casualties, but who would suffer the most?

"There are always casualties in battle," Wrex replied. "Ours especially. Don't forget everything that's happened, everything we've risked, the people we've lost. It all comes down to this, to this moment."

"You're very prepared," Garrus remarked. "How did you come up with this plan so quickly?"

"Seraph and I... we thought this might happen," he answered. "After she spoke with the Illusive Man on that faulty distress call we talked about the different ways this battle would go. If we got too close to winning, she said he would try something like this and that's when I got the idea."

"And she knew?" he asked. "She knew and you didn't think to tell us?"

"It was just one of so many plans," Wrex explained. "They could have come after me, or you, and we never took into account a baby krogan! When they took Grunt Seraph knew she had to go, not just to save him, but to initiate this plan."

"But-"

"Wrex is right," Mordin interrupted. "Too many possibilities. No point in telling if it didn't happen."

Garrus didn't argue with Mordin, not when he knew Wrex was right. He just never expected things to come to this. He thought he, Wrex and Seraphina would face the enemy together, as they always had, but it seemed Wrex and Seraphina had handled everything without him.

He felt pushed out almost, as foolish as it sounded, his friends had grown closer and it was something he could never be a part of. Perhaps this was just the sign of things to come, if so then it made his quest much easier. If it was just him, then he could easily find Giriko without anyone getting in the way.

"I trust you, Wrex," he said.

"Good, that's all I need," Wrex said. "EDI, are we in position yet?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "Everyone is ready and awaiting orders."

Wrex opened his Omni-tool and a large terminal appeared, the Cronos Station visible on screen. The ships were ready. The crew was ready. All that was left was to give the order.

"FIRE!"

...

The ships engines flared to life and charged forwards, straight into the maws of the enemy. The Station's defence system automaticaly came online and fired bright red charges of energy that could tear through any ship. The cruiser's twisted and turned, diving beneath the rays.

One shuttle was struck, but stayed on course, and crashed straight into the Station. Another ship soon followed, crashing into the hull of the station. The others followed, beating Cronos Station until it was dented and broken. Faint flames could be seen before they were snuffed in the cold space.

Two more terminals appeared. One showed the several docking bays, all of which had been broken and blocked, while the other showed the station's cannon's, broken into floating bits. The Cronos Station crew were in a state of panic, unable to fly out or defend itself, they could do nothing but prepare for the enemy who waited outside.

Garrus watched the attack unfold and, as much as he hated to admit it, Wrex had come up with an excellent plan. Using old shuttles and having EDI pilot them into the bay doors and defence system saved the Normandy from any unnecessary damage and take Cerberus by surprise.

"What now?" Garrus asked. "You took out each bay door, they can't get out but _we_ can't get in."

"Already ahead of you," Wrex replied. "I had EDI scan the station while she was targeting the doors and cannon's. Hopefully she's found another way in."

"I have," she responded. "A small opening, for small emergency escape pods. Some of the pods have already been discharged and so there are a few openings big enough for you and your crew to enter."

"Great job," he said. "We'll take the shuttle. You try to track each escape pod and send their coordinates to whatever authority is closest."

She silently obeyed.

Wrex turned to his crew and without having to say one word they sprang into action, charging towards the Kodiak Shuttle with a steely determination present in their eyes. Wrex felt anticipation rise up within him, a burning in his chest, it was almost painful.

He wanted to get Seraphina and Grunt back so badly, he wanted to chain Cerberus like the man dog it was and finally put to rest all the pain they had caused. The climax was approaching, fast and steady, and soon it would be all over.

Finally.

...

In one of the research labs a scientist was panicking. The emergency alarm had been sounding for some time now, guards were running past his room, and he somewhat wished he had stayed with Giriko. The guy was mad, sure, but stuff like this nothing happened.

Worst of all, the krogan that had been brought in proved to be... troublesome.

He had detected trace remains of an unpredictable growth hormone, there was no way to judge how the child's body would react. If it was human then the only thing that would change would be the brain's capacity, as it was impossible for a human body to change so quick so soon without damaging itself.

But krogan develop quickly and -

A guard came in, scaring the scientist who dropped his data pad in fright.

"You have to evacuate," the guard ordered. "There are only a few escape pods left."

"But I can't leave the specimen," the scientist argued. "The Illusive Man will have my head if I-"

He never got to finish his sentence, as a large fist came down on his head and knocked him out. When he awoke some hours later he found Alliance forces pointing guns at him and the guard had been stripped bare, right down to his colourful pink boxers.

...

The shuttle came to the narrow openings that once held the escape pods, and once they safely secured their helmets they split into two teams. Wrex would take Garrus and Liara with him, Wrex was more of brute force type of guy who would need someone who could defend with biotic skills and then someone who could work from a distant to defend the biotic.

The same reasoning went into Samara, Tali and Feron's grouping. Feron preferred close-ups attacks, being rather fast and stealthy, while Samara and Tali could work at any distance. As Team Two Samara would lead her team mates down the floors, eliminating and capturing anyone they came across, once they cleared enough floors they would call the Councillors and send back-up.

At the last minute Wrex had decided to keep Mordin on board the Normandy, while Tungel and Chakwas were capable, it was questionable whether they could handle the already injured crewman and whoever came into the Med-Bay seeking help later. His skills were better spent helping the injured.

Team One had a similar plan to Team Two, except their mission was mainly to extract Grunt and Shepard and then eliminate the Illusive Man. As they entered the narrow chamber and pried the doors open Liara let out a powerful biotic blast that sent several guards flying into the wall.

"That helped clear the way," Garrus remarked. "Makes me sometimes wish I was biotic."

They entered the chamber, watching the shuttle disappear from sight as Team Two were dropped off a few feet below. They moved quickly, cutting down any guards who got in their way. Wrex tried to follow Seraphina's tracker, but every time another guard appeared they were forced to take cover or were pushed down a different route.

He knew there was going to be many guards, he just never expected how quick to react and adapt they would be. They took a sharp turn and came across more guards, Garrus released a flash bang and Wrex took advantage of their confusion and charged them.

He knocked one to the ground and kneed another, breaking another's jaw with a heavy punch and simply head-butting another. They fell to the ground and they moved on, clearing another corridor and another until they came to what must have been a research facility.

"Are we any closer to her?" Garrus asked. "It won't be long before the Illusive Man comes up with a counter-strike and forces us back."

"Hopefully by then the Councillors will have sent help," Liara said. "Samara will make quick work of the lower floors with the help of Tali and Feron, it shouldn't be long before help arrives."

"How are we going to find Grunt?" Garrus asked. "They won't keep him with Shepard, he could be-"

There was a loud crash up ahead and a body flew through the air, falling to the ground at their feet. There was the sound of a shot gun and screaming, but oddly Wrex felt as though this was a good thing. He walked ahead, passing over the bodies and turned a corner, and faced a shot gun.

Garrus and Liara sprang into action, finger trigger ready and biotic pulses charged, they came to his aid and froze. Wrex couldn't see them, but it was likely they had a look of shock similar to his own.

He stared at the barrel of the gun, recognizing it as a Cerberus favourite. He looked at it for a moment longer, and then slowly looked up at the familiar krogan holding the weapon. They stared at each other for a long time, before Wrex realized who had pointed a gun at him.

"...Grunt?"

The silver crested krogan eyed Wrex carefully. He was aware of who the krogan was, his memories did not vanish when the growth hormones worked their magic and changed him. If he _had_ been human this would never have happened, but Grunt was a krogan, and krogan mature quickly.

Grunt had somehow gotten his hands on a guard's weapon and even the uniform, though the armour was loose fitting and far too small for his body he was aware of its value in battle and wasn't going to let himself be caught off guard.

Grunt lowered the gun, "I was wondering where you was..." he said. "Where's Mom? Have you found her yet?"

"Mom?" Wrex repeated. "No, we haven't found her yet - but we're close. We're clearing the floor as we go."

"Good, let's go," Grunt said.

"Hey, wait!" Wrex grabbed him. "You have absolutely no experience in fighting and you expect me to let you-"

"Okeer programmed me to be a warrior," Grunt interrupted. "It's all in here, ready to be used. Didn't you see me just now? I took out those guards and plenty more. I can handle it."

"Go back to the ship," Wrex ordered. "If anything were to happen to you Seraph would never forgive me... or herself."

Grunt pulled his arm free. Wrex saw the youth wanted to argue, he was still so young with yet underdeveloped crests with the passion for battle in his heart, but in the short time he had been alive much of it have been with Seraphina.

She was the closest thing to a mother he probably had, and he didn't want to upset her.

"Fine," he huffed. "I'll go. Which way is it?"

"Our forces will be here soon to make arrests," Wrex replied. "You stay here and they'll come to pick you up."

Garrus and Liara moved on ahead, and Grunt swore under his breath. He wanted to help, he wanted to go out and fight, but Wrex was right. Not only would he upset Seraph, but what he knew about battle was what he was programmed to know, it couldn't really place actual experience.

"Don't worry," Wrex assured him. "I'll get her back."

Grunt said nothing, he just nodded and watched as Wrex went in search of his love.

...

The Illusive Man tried to contact his forces, anyone who he could reach who could provide some assistance, but his best agents were either somewhere else or had already been taken care of. Kai Leng was dead. Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor, two of his best operatives, were at another research station.

He felt everything crumble around him, like sand slipping through the cracks of his fingers his dream was shattered and scattered. There was nothing he could do. Maybe, one day, another Cerberus would rise, but for now this guardian of humanity had lost its fight.

Seraphina had broken free of her cuffs, he suspected she had been able to break free since the start, she had just been biding her time. He turned to her, his face calm and composed, and she saw he had accepted it. Cerberus was over.

"It's a safe bet that you won't let me live," he said. "After what I've done, all these years of murder and conspiracy and fraud, the Councillors would accept no other punishment but death."

Behind him one terminal turned blue, it showed several large incoming forces. He glanced at it and quickly identified the vessels as Alliance forces and Citadel allies, they were coming to erase all of his work and take all of his men to jail.

They may not uncover everything, there were still hidden files, but after everything that was happening now he doubted there was nothing they didn't know. He was starting to feel rather pessimistic.

He walked away from her and walked to his chair. She watched him carefully as he sat down and pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it. He took a long, deep drag and let the smoke slowly slip from his lips and gather like a cloud around his head.

"I was there for the First Contact War, you know," he sounded so much like an old man know, like a dying old man with a few more stories to tell. "I lost some good friends, I made a lot of enemies, and it was there I decided I wanted humanity to ascend. Is it so wrong for me to want the best for our race?"

"No," she said, "but there is such a thing as trying too hard. You want humanity to stand on its own, fine, but you forget that everyone needs a little help. You didn't create Cerberus without some help."

She approached him and he handed her his gun. She was surprised at how willing he was, but faced with a public execution where he would spend days watching as reporters dirtied his name and his organization, she could understand why he would rather have a quick death.

He observed the dying sun and removed the cigarette.

"Good luck with the future, Commander Shepard," he said. "I hope you live long and prosper."

"Goodbye, Jack Harper."

Commander Shepard pulled the trigger. And just like that, it was over.

_To Be Concluded..._


	38. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Heracles Company Final Report:**

**Jack Harper, A.K.A the Illusive Man, and his organization Cerberus have officially been removed as a threat. Alliance forces and other Spectre's have been sent out to recover remaining operatives, while those found at the Cronos Station are awaiting trial. Jack Harper was killed during the raid, as per the Councillors request to have him eliminated if ever found, and his remains have been incinerated. All information found in the Cerberus data base has been passed onto to official operatives of C-Sec.**

**Tali'Zorah nar Rayya has returned to her ship. The Justicar Samara left without any operatives knowing, while Liara T'soni and Feron dissapeared under similar circumstances. Mordin Solus has been given granted guardianship over Tungel and continue his research. Spectre's Seraphina Shepard, Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex have resigned from their positions.**

...

Seraphina stood in the middle of her apartment and realized just how big it was without any of her things. Without the photos or furniture or even the smallest of things like a bottle of water, it seemed like the loneliest place in the world. It was just waiting to be filled with life.

It was no longer the home of two Spectre's, it was just an empty space. Officially, she would always be a Spectre and could always be called upon if she was ever needed. Resigning from Spectre duty was just another way of calling it a long vacation, except the difference was they could always reject a request to return.

But as far as titles went she was just Seraphina Shepard. Not a Spectre or even a Commander, she was just a woman.

Or rather, she was just a politician now. Soon she and Wrex would be taken to Tuchanka and they could begin the rebuilding of Clan Urdnot and then eventually the rest of Tuchanka. No matter what hesitant thoughts she may have had before, they were all gone now.

There was a slight rapping at the open door and Grunt entered.

"Everything's loaded onto the ship," he said. "Garrus will take us to Tuchanka."

It had been a shock to the system when this huge silver crested krogan had called her 'Mom' and reintroduced himself as Grunt, she was aware the growth hormones would have done something to his system, she just never expected such a huge change. It was a good thing she was used to change.

"And where is he going after he takes us there?" she asked.

"Senn Giriko was last seen moving his operations into the Qu'in Galaxy," Grunt replied. "Garrus is going to follow him there. He's lucky Quentius said he could keep the Normandy and EDI, otherwise..."

"He won't stop until Giriko is either dead or in jail," she sighed.

"He'll be fine," Grunt said. "He's a soldier, he can adapt."

"I know..." she said. "It's just... to think he would be alone..."

"He has EDI."

"She's an AI, she learns how to respond to emotion, but she'll never be a real person who could ever understand what it means to be alive."

Grunt frowned and repeated, "He'll be fine."

She rolled his eyes, "Come on," she said. "Let's go. I can't wait to show you Tuchanka."

He followed her out of the room and headed straight for the docking bay. She stopped to savour the sight of the place that had meant so much to her and to enjoy her apartment before it became someone else's. She wondered if it would serve these strangers as well as it had served her in this life.

She turned off the lights and a patch remained as the light from outside illuminated the room, a square of welcoming and warm light in the dark. She smiled as certain memories filtered through her and she realized just how much history was carved into this one small space.

But things end, as they always do, and when one door closes another opens. She turned away from the apartment and light, and as the doors closed shut behind her she headed for the elevator that would take her away from this life.

...

Garrus didn't stay in Clan Urdnot for long, as a turian he wasn't welcomed by most and he only stayed long enough to see Wrex's easy victory over the previous leader and watch as the clan was quick to set up a large and loud party. He congratulated his friend and wished them luck, but was soon off.

"You can't stay a little longer?" Seraphina asked.

Behind them the party was in full swing, the cheers of krogan so loud it silenced the hum of the Normandy as it hovered behind Garrus, ready to take him to his adventure. The air stunk of ryncol and as parties go, it was a little too rough for Garrus' taste. But Grunt was enjoying himself.

It was nice to see he so easily fitted in with his kinsmen.

"I want to find Giriko and end him before he hurts anyone else," he answered. "After that's done then we can party."

She smirked, "I'll hold you onto that promise," she said.

She glanced back, trying to make out Wrex in the crowd. It seemed she had lost him just after he was carried off by a group of very happy whelps.

"I don't think he's coming to see you..." she said. "Sorry... when he sobers up he'll probably call."

"Then I'll be waiting," he said.

"Be careful, Garrus," she said. "I don't want to be the one who identifies your corpse."

He laughed, "My, aren't you cheerful?"

She playfully punched him, "Just be safe," she ordered. "I'm not your commander anymore, but that's one order I want you follow."

He saluted and smiled, and with a brief hug from his ex-commanding officer, he entered the Normandy and the ship took off into the dark sky and dissapeared from sight. Garrus took his seat in the pilot's chair, though EDI did all the work, and looked out at the space around him.

Space was never quite black, though many assumed it was. If one was to look closely they would see faint yellows that were far and distant suns and the little glittering lights of stations and ships, and he always noticed a slight tone of blue to the world around him.

"Would you like to stop at Palaven or somewhere to rest?" EDI asked. "It is a long way to the Qui'in Galaxy, and though the Councillors have vouched for you, you will still have to go through severe checks before you are allowed free reign."

"I'm ready for this, EDI," he replied. "The Qui'in Council are careful, they don't want to let just anyone through."

"Giriko got through," she remarked.

"Yeah... somehow," he agreed. "It's likely he's under an alias, which will make it harder to find him."

"... Are you sure you're ready?" she asked.

He considered it for a moment, thinking of everything he had brought with him. He had EDI, the Normandy, his Spectre contacts and even his armour and weaponry, and he had his brains. He was as ready as he could ever be for this new world.

And yet he had not ever been to the Qu'in Galaxy, he didn't know any of the planets or what it's people were like, he was as unprepared as he could be in that way. But he was determined, and if someone had the will and determination then such things as obstacles were easy to forget.

"I'm ready," he said. "Nothing is going to stop me."

He lay back in his seat, getting comfortable for what was going to be a very long journey.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Garrus' story continues in **'The Shadow Alliance'**. A new universe, new allies, and an old foe, Garrus Vakarian better be prepared for the hell that awaits him. Coming to soon!_

_And that's that! I'm so happy I managed to start and finish this within a year, and that I somehow managed to tie in the Garrus sequel I have planned. I want to thank everyone for their reviews and support, as I never thought I'd manage to do this, as this is my biggest - and longest - fic ever!_

_So thanks for reading!_


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